I’ve hit a season
where every morning for the last week I have made a long list of tasks, have
worked hard all day, and have barely even scratched the surface of what has
needed to be accomplished. (My husband
suggested I just stopping making lists, but that’s not really helpful, dear.)
I've felt overwhelmed
and anxious in an “I’m going to throw up” sort of way.
Over my bowl of
cereal yesterday I had anxiety so severe it actually caused chest pain. (That’s probably bad.) Then I remembered the verse, “Do not be
anxious about anything…” (Philippians
4:6 NIV)
Can you tell someone
to stop being anxious?
I hear it all the
time from people. “I can’t help but be
afraid.” “I can’t help but be angry.” “I can’t help but be anxious.” “I can’t help but be depressed.”
Romans 12:2 (NIV) says, “Do
not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind.”
Evidently, we can
help it. God’s expectation is for us to
be transformed from a life of anxiety to peace, and this happens by acquiring new ways of thinking.
I ate another bite of
cereal and rolled the verse around in my mind.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer…” Oh yeah.
Prayer. Toss all that anxiety
in God’s lap and let Him worry about how the tasks are going to get done.
So I prayed through
my list of anxieties, and by the time my spoon hit the bottom of the cereal
bowl I felt peace and no chest pain.
Here’s the process
for getting over bad feelings:
1.
Get a verse from the
Bible that speaks to your condition.
2.
Memorize it.
3.
Believe it.
4.
Do what it says.
5.
Repeat steps three
and four as needed.
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