Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Scripture- “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.”- Psalm 94:19
Insight: When we are young, anxiety is a foreign concept for most of us. We view it through the lens of time, and we know that no matter what happens to us, we have plenty of time with which to overcome any hurdles. That doesn’t mean there isn’t painful experiences for many in their youth, it just means in general we have a spirit that doesn’t ponder all the things that can wrong, but rather all the fun things that are on the agenda that can make life great. Kids generally don’t have to worry as much about providing for themselves, as usually the parents carry that responsibility. They are usually fed and clothed, and left to their imagination as to how they will spend their time on any given day. But as we get older, we seem to find things to worry about more frequently, and the things on our list of worries never truly goes away, it just changes names and identities. We worry about a multitude of things as we get older: our health, our looks, our popularity, our finances, our relationships, our businesses, our kids, our country, our world, our future and that is just a small subset of things that cause us to toss and turn at night. Many times we cross one off the list, and another one quickly moves in to takes it place. So, the whole idea is where can we go to to find some stability and peace while we are living in an anxious world?
In my life group we have been asking the same questions and discussing our anxieties and fears with each other in a vulnerable way, with complete openness and transparency and it has been a cathartic journey. A book we have been studying called “Anxious For Nothing,” by Max Lucado has brought great wisdom to our group in giving us ideas and methods to help deal with anxiety in a practical way. One acronym that Max gives that has been very helpful is C.A.L.M. which stands for Celebrate God’s goodness, Ask for His help, Leave it with Him, and Meditate on the scriptures, There are literally hundreds of scriptures that are in the Bible that deal directly with God’s promises to help us with and through our anxieties. Some of the ones we have been focused on our Philippians 4:4-8, Matthew 11:28-30, Proverbs 3:5-6, and 2 Timothy 4:18. There are literally hundreds more and they all have a deep meaning for us, and speak to us in unique ways at unique times, almost just when we need to hear them the most.
But Max Lucado also gives us a practical meditation we can use to stay focused on the present, which is where God wants us, and not anxious about the future or regretful about the past which is what the enemy wants us to focus on. The meditation says the following and I encourage you to read it daily in the morning to keep you mind in the right space as you begin a new day. It simply says: Today, I will live today. Yesterday has passed. Tomorrow is not yet. I’m left with today. So, today I will live today. Relive yesterday? No! I will learn from it. I will seek mercy for it. I will take joy in it. But I won’t live in it. The sun has set on yesterday. The sun has yet to rise on tomorrow. Worry about the future? To what gain? It deserves a glance, nothing more. I can’t change tomorrow until tomorrow. Today, I will live today. I will face today’s challenges with today’s strength. I will dance today’s waltz with today’s music. I will celebrate today’s opportunities with today’s hope. Today.
Payer- Father God, will us to live for each moment of our lives in the present. To focus on each moment for the preciousness it deserves. Help us not to be regretful about the past or anxious about the future, but rather to be engaged in each “now” moment that you give us. We pray for strength in Jesus’ mighty name to seek Him when we are feeling “weary and burdened,’ and trust as it says in Matthew 11:28-30 that He will provide the rest that our souls need. Amen!
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