Hey Martha!

Matthew 6:34 says, “Don’t worry about tomorrow. It will take care of itself. You have enough to worry about today”.

I love that scripture. Mostly because I tend to worry and I need to be reminded that it’s not necessary for me to do so. Just because anxious thoughts pop into my head, I don’t need to “go there”. I can stay in the present, take a few deep breaths, pray and ride out the momentary attack of anxiety until it passes. Even under the most stressful situations, I can choose to stay in the moment and just breathe.

Living under constant stress and trying to manage the emotions that result because of it has its own challenges. The mind begins to react in self-defense and the body soon follows. Headaches, insomnia, rapid heartbeat, depression, anger, irritability, the list goes on.

If you can relate to what I’m saying, or have experienced some of what I’ve described, I pray peace over you; the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7). My hope for myself is that I can learn to be content in whatever circumstance I find myself in; like Paul described in his letter to the Philippians. I pray the same for you too.

1 Peter 5:7, says “Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” It’s easier said than done, I know. You may even tell yourself to toughen up, life happens, it is what it is, but still you worry. Imagine a duck, calmly floating along in a pond. Everything appears smooth and easy, but what you don’t see is that ducks tiny feet paddling away like crazy under the stillness of the water; like our racing minds while being bombarded with stressful emotions.

After four or five nights of no sleep, you eventually begin to grow wiser and you learn to take your thoughts captive, or during one of your bouts with insomnia you sleepily come across a scripture in the bible that screams at you, “Martha, Martha, the Lord replied, “You are worried and upset about many things. (Luke 10:41). Although we can’t choose what happens to us in life, we can choose how we respond.

Helpful bible reading tip…replace Martha’s name with your own.

If you need a little more encouragement or further recommendations about  dealing with anxiety, read Matthew 6:25-34.

Until next time.

Love, peace and taco grease!

~Trish

P.S. Thank you to Alyssa F., my friend fellow duck in the pond. You make it look easy. Giving credit where credit is due.