Life Cycle of Worry

 Life Cycle of Worry

- Devil Tells Us Lies AND
    We Believe Them
- Life Expectations Take Root
    "Should Be This Way"
- We Feel Entitled to Comfort
- Fear of Losing Control Grows
- Distrust God's Plan
- Feel Responsible For Outcome
- Worry
- If Worry Comes to Fruition,
      Lies Intensify

- Cycle Begins Again

Instead of drawing nourishment from the Lies of the Devil, 

we should be soaked in Living Water

        Life Cycle of Joy

- Immerse Ourselves in Christ,
      Our Living Water
- Disregard Lies of the Devil
- Grow Realistic Life Expectations
       "He Will Meet Our Needs"
- Trust Him More
- Freedom From Fear
- Content With Life We Are Given
- Experience Joy

- Cycle Begins Again

At any moment we can choose to draw from the streams of living water, rather than the sprinkles of lies from the enemy. 

Which picture best describes your life?

Christ Gives Me Strength

I can do all things because Christ gives me the strength. 
( Philippians 4:13  NLV )

Some personal reflections on a verse I have been meditating on for a few days.

I  - Me, not someone else.  The word is interchangeable with my name.  I am a creation
       of God; he cares enough about me to know me personally.  He knows what I am
       going through and sees each and every tear.

CAN - It is present tense.  The here and now.  I am able, at this very moment.  It has
       nothing to do with what I have done in the past.  It is not concerned about the future.

DO - Active and not passive.  Encouraging me to start, to engage in life.  Does not imply
       a time in which to complete it all.  I begin with one step in the right direction.

ALL - Nothing is excluded.  Nothing is overlooked- no matter how small, large, simple,
      difficult, or impossible it seems.

THINGS  - A very broad term for what I am currently facing or anticipate dealing with.
      Tasks, problems, frustrations, uncertainty.

BECAUSE - Ties final phrase to the first.  Tells why it can be done.  Without the last
      part of the sentence, the first does not hold true.

CHRIST - Jesus.  My savior.  No one else can promise what he does.  I do not do this
      on my own.  Others can not fill this role.  Technology and pleasure will not help give
      what I really need most.

GIVES - It is active, in the present.  Like a present, it must be received. It is free, costs
      me nothing.  I must accept it.

ME - Interchangeable with my name.  A personal gift directly from Christ. Does not go
     to someone else before it comes to me - just one step between me and the God who
     holds the universe together.

the
STRENGTH - Power, firmness, courage, endurance.  Builds on what is already there. 

I can do all things because Christ gives me the strength.

The Root of Worry

     I like to be comfortable.  It's selfish, I know, but the truth nonetheless. God has blessed me with a warm home, cozy bed, clothes for each season, and enough food to keep me full.  I do not always have what I want, but what I need is supplied one way or another.

     I am convinced that at the root of most worry is the fear of being uncomfortable, of something changing. People worry about things because of how they affect them or their loved ones personally.

    Financial worries        =  Fear of not being able to afford all the comforts we are
                                           used to 
 
    Health worries           =  Fear of being physically uncomfortable, or of not being able
                                           to do the things that brought us comfort in the past
 
    Relationship worries  =  Fear of uncomfortable social situations, or of not having the
                                           comfort of someone to go through life with
 
    Future worries          =  Fear of unknown, change, and how it will affect our comfort
 
    Death worries           = Fear of where someone will spend eternity, or how our lives
                                         will change because of it
 
     My list is certainly not exhaustive, but the theme holds true in most situations.  What does Jesus say about our wants and needs?  Philippians 4:19 in The Message says, "You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus".  God knows what we need.  He also knows that sometimes we do not need the comforts that we are used to or that we would like to have.

    Think about it.  God has not promised us that we will be comfortable.  In fact, John 16:33 NIV says, "In this world you will have trouble".  He promised to meet our needs.  These are two very different concepts, but I believe many people often lump them together and end up disappointed with God.

     I choose to not worry about my needs.  God will supply them.  I choose to thank God for all the blessings around me that make me comfortable, knowing they may not last.  When these comforts are taken away, I choose to focus on the one who meets all my needs.

    Giver of every perfect gift, thank you for the comforts I enjoy.  Keep my focus on you as they come and go in my life. Help me to trust that you know what is best for me, what I really need. Amen.

In the Dark

    I went into my daughter's room to check on her late one night because she was crying.  It was so dark in there that at first I could not make out where her crib was.  I simply stood right inside the door and said her name and that I was there.  Immediately she stopped crying and said, "Momma! Momma!".  I went to her and gave her a hug before putting her back in bed.  She slept soundly the rest of the night.   
    As I left the room, the thought occurred to me that she did not need to see me to be comforted.  She listened to my voice and knew everything was going to be okay.  In the dark that night, she relied on what she knew about me from previous experiences to determine how to react.  She trusted me and knew I could calm her fears.
    A few nights ago I sat in my car, calling out to God aloud.  I just needed to vocalize some frustrations and struggles I was going through.  In my mind, he was sitting in the passenger seat, listening intently.  I could almost hear him saying, "I understand. I am here."  I was in the dark, but he was there too, although I could not see him.  He did, and often does, comfort me when I cry out his name.
    The darkness, real or spiritual, can be very frightening.  In times of confusion and uncertainty, I choose to call out my savior's name.  I trust that he will not let me down in the future.

    "I call out to the LORD, and he answers me from his holy mountain." Psalm 3:4 NIV
    
    "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30 NIV
  
    "Trust in the Lord" - Sixpense None the Richer
     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N_5B5F2otk

     Father of light, be with me in the darkness.  Keep reminding me that you want to hear my cries and love opportunities to reassure me that you are near.  Amen.

My Focus

     The other day I chose to wear my glasses rather than my contacts.  During the afternoon I went to get a haircut, placing my glasses on the counter while the lady combed and snipped.  It surprised me how little detail of myself I could see in the mirror without them on.  What I could observe was blurry and nondescript. To see clearly, I had to adjust my focus by looking through my lenses once again.
     Later, while sitting at a park, I thought about my focus in life.  Most of the time it seems to be a bit blurry.  It jumps from my children to myself to marriage to friends to...  not what it should be. I need to put on what my friend calls my "God Goggles".  Through them I am better able to view God's hand in each area of my life.  Without them on, most of life seems shapeless, hazy.
     When I try to see people and events in my life through the eyes of God I am humbled. Opportunities to love and be loved are all around me, I just do not usually take the time to focus on them. The frustrating situations I encounter with my children are shaping both of our characters. The inconsiderate coworker is really a lost soul in need of some wise counsel. The half hour drive alone in the car is an excellent opportunity to ask my Savior for help to get through the week.
     Perhaps I should wear my glasses more often to remind myself how blurry life can be without the right focus.  One problem - my daughter tried to wear them and bent one side a bit too far. (Note above mentioned frustrating situations with children ). I am thinking God has a good sense of humor.

     "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."  Jeremiah 29:13

     All Seeing Lord, I want to see you more often in my day to day life.  I want to have the right focus - your will and not mine.  Thank you for opening up my eyes and taking away the blur.  Amen.

The Present

     My three year old son found a page of stickers today that had been sent to me in the mail a long time ago.  They were designed for scrapbooking and had various words on them.  He happily went around our house, placing them here and there.  I instructed him that it was okay to put stickers on paper and people, but not on furniture. It kept him quite busy so I did not really mind where they ended up.
     Later in the evening, while giving my one year old daughter a "horsie ride" on my knee, I noticed the two stickers he had place on his sister's shirt: child and present.  I kept repeating the words over and over in my mind: Child, present... present, child. I thought, she is a present to our family, sent by God to give us so much joy and to teach us patience, along with the vital skill of covering our ears quickly when she shrieks in protest.  Then, another thought came to mind.  Children live in the present.
     She does not understand the concept of yesterday or tomorrow yet.  Even "in a minute" has no meaning for her.  She knows what she is experiencing now.  She lives in the present with no regrets for the past and no worries about the future.  My daughter, like all young children, is completely immersed in whatever task she is involved in.
    
     What a gift living in the present is.
   
     If I were to leave all my regrets behind and cast aside my worries for the future, could I too immerse myself more fully in the present?  Could I save precious time, freeing up those moments I used to waste contemplating things I have no control over?  Then, I would not miss the giggles of my children as they run through the yard.  I would not miss the opportunity to pray for a friend when she came to my mind.  I would be free to be where I am in the moment, like a child.

     "Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"  Matthew 6:27  NIV

     Holy Father, I know I am given the same 24 hours in my day as everyone else.  Help me to not waste them on regrets or worrying.  Show me how to live in the present fully, like my daughter.  I do not want to miss the opportunities that are right in front of me now.  Amen.

The Quilt of My Life

     I am piecing together a quilt made out of the clothes I remember my father wearing the most over the years.  The process has been very healing, immersed in the fabric of my childhood. I arrange them carefully, laying patterns here and solids there.  Each individual square adds character and color to the whole.  I find it looks better when I take time to place them where I want them, rather than randomly throwing them together.
     The events that come into my life, I find, add character and color to make me who I am today.  Much like the quilt when it is finished, my life would look much different without a few hardships placed here and trials positioned there.  God knows when I need these patches to make me into the person he wants me to be.  As with my fabric masterpiece, my own quilt of existence would be boring and too ordinary if the squares were all the same. 
     If I had to be honest, though, I would request the life of the ordinary quilt.  Perhaps that would not include heartache, headaches, and longing.  But having been through some hard times and seeing growth in myself, I know that is not what is best for me.  I trust that Jesus knows what he is doing as he sews my quilt together piece by piece.  Am I looking forward to a few more colorful patches in the future? Not exactly, but I know who I'll look to when the needle pierces my fabric once again.

    ^"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way."  James 1:2-4  The Message

     Father, I admit I do not enjoy every piece you have placed in my quilt of life.  Help me to trust that each trial and heartache is there for a reason.  When the more painful patches come, please use them to draw me nearer to you.  Someday I look forward to seeing the grander picture, how each piece fit into making the masterpiece you desired.  Amen.