One of the lessons I’ve learned in this pandemic is that it’s okay to be gentle with myself. It’s okay to show myself compassion and care. I’ve learned that my anxiety can get the better of me if I don’t pay attention to the warning signals my emotions send. In response, I have needed to allow myself extra rest and fewer demands (where possible, haha). “The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”...
October 1, 2020
anxiety•books that shape me•prayer•Uncategorized•weakness•worry
A fierce love for dark days
Occasionally, Facebook will let me know that a friend has marked his or herself “safe” after an earthquake, a terrorist attack, or a hurricane. As we face a new year, can I encourage to mark yourself “safe” in all the ways that matter? Sometimes I face the new year with a bit of fear. Will God be there as He has been in the past? Sometimes I face it with some cynicism. God, you didn’t really fix...
Sometimes anxiety can be a lonely experience. “What are you worried about?” my husband will often ask. “I don’t know. It’s just everything all at once,” I usually say. Anyone else with me? It can be lonely to not even be able to express an internal struggle. I was worshipping with my church family on Sunday and struggling with some anxiety, finding it a hard to sing out and focus. I think God said to me, “I know. I...
“Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:5-7 ESV) Sometimes I describe anxiety like a train. It starts with a thought or a belief that, unchecked, begins to roll along briskly...
Hello friends! I’ve been a little quiet around here, I know, but I wanted to pop in briefly and share this Scripture with you that has been ministering to me: “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.” Psalm 91:14 I don’t know if you’ve ever felt the overwhelming weight of anxiety and fear. I sure have. Slowly God is leading me through, teaching me discern between the voice of fear and the voice...
With the start of the school year, life has gotten a bit busier for us. My to-do’s are all small things, but in total I tend to react in anxiety and find myself sorting through them at 3 am, unable to sleep. So this month’s screensaver is a reminder for me and you to pause and seek the presence of the Lord. I love this verse: “Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!” Psalm 105:4 And...
If you’re an American like me and at all paying attention, you were probably up late last night watching the election results roll in–to your delight, dismay, or bewilderment depending on your point of view (and if you’re grieving today, I’m truly sorry, and please take your time processing). (This reminds me of how there is a massive construction project carving up a whole hill down the street from our house–a new “luxury living” university student housing development...
I have written about fear before (here and here and here, and here), and here I am again. We get into the car and I fear that we’ll get into an accident. A friend of a friend has cancer. What if that happened to me? What if we go to war and my son gets drafted one day (currently reading a World War 1 novel)? Little nagging fears, just sparks really. As I write, a wildfire still burns over...
I remember getting scared of the dark as a little girl. I’d call for my mom, and she’d come and sing a little song based on Philippians 4:8. She hates for anyone to hear her voice, but to me it was the sweetest comfort. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these...
