Bible Plan Week 3: Fear & Anxiety
Bible plan week 3: Fear & Anxiety
August has a couple of weeks left y’all. This weeks topic is fear and anxiety. A topic I am all too familiar with nor care for to be honest. I have struggled the majority of my life with fear and anxiety. Most of which people do not understand unless you suffer from it yourself. The constant reminders to just, “get over it" or “it could be worse" does not help, nor do I care to hear it either. Until you have walked in someone’s shoes who genuinely suffers from anxiety I believe you have no right to tell them how to deal with it or how they should be feeling. What I can tell you, and this my own opinion, I am not a healthcare worker or a professional, I am only speaking from my own personal experiences....is medicine doesn’t help, nor is it healthy for you. It messed my body up so bad i still fear the repercussions. Therapy can help but it becomes very costly and for a family on a budget, isn’t necessarily doable. In my experience the only thing that can help is God. And being honest, he doesn’t always help in the moment when I need him too. The healing comes later on, through prayer. Sometimes he does help instantaneously and I feel at ease and peace. God does tell us not to be anxious and to not worry or have fear. But as you all know that is darn near impossible in these times. These times of uncertainty, personal loss, grief, financial struggles and changes, marital problems, homeschooling to work ratios, shutdowns, school closures and openings (are we or aren’t we, I still have no idea??) there is so much to be anxious for. SO MUCH UNCERTAINTY! But if we turn to the Bible it gives us the answers. It answers almost every question we as Christians can think of when it comes to life. It is our guidebook, our instruction manual.
Let’s turn to:
Matthew 6:25 HSCB
The Cure for Anxiety
25 “This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?
26 Look at the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?
27 Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying?
28 And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don’t labor or spin thread.
29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these! 30 If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t He do much more for you—you of little faith?
31 So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’
32 For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.
34 Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Okay so first off the title of that passage is literally the cure for anxiety! If you could only see this passage in my bible, it is highlighted like a rainbow after a rainy day! So many underlines and colors, I love it. Verse 25 tells us not to worry about what we will eat, or drink or what we will wear, do not worry about your body. Do the birds of the sky reap and sow into barns? The answer is no, they do not. If you have ever sat and watched a bird what is they are doing? They are living, in the moment. In that exact moment they are only focused on the task at hand that is in their little minds. And does GOD not always provide for them? Yes, look at nature and what all is provided. If the birds just take the time (and they do) to slow down and focus on what is in front of them, they will find what they are looking for because God has supplied it for them. Are we not capable of the same behavior? To slow down and focus on what is in front of us instead of what is yet to come? In a world of instant gratification and the, more is more motto we need to slow down as look at the situation at hand, instead of what is yet to be. This is obviously easier said than done, coming from someone who has suffered through the bottomless darkened pit of anxiety I can attest that it can be done. You can crawl out, there is light at the top of that pit, there is hope where there seems none. I promise you; HE promises you.
We cannot give way to fear and anxiety. It will run and ruin your life, if it isn’t already. Take a deep breath and realize you are not alone, you have never been alone, nor will you ever be again. He will never leave you, nor forsake you. Say it with me, he will never leave me, nor abandon me. And again, HE WILL NEVER LEAVE ME, NOR ABANDON ME.
Doesn’t that sound so calming and reassuring? When all seems to be failing in your life, know that God does not and will not fail you. Not now, not ever. So let’s try to take one step at a time, one situation at a time okay. Through Him I promise you will prevail, and if you want too take medication and go to therapy than by all means you do it. Do not let someone invalidate your feelings by making you feel bad for having anxiety, by calling you weak or telling you to just get over it or things could be worse. Your feelings are valid, and they do matter. They matter to God, and they matter to me. You can do this my friend. One step and situation at a time. Just breath & pray.
33“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be provided for you."
They will be provided for you my friend, if only you ask him. Some days will be easier than others but if you look in your manual of love and truth, you will find the answers. I have faith and confidence in you.
Matthew 6:25 is on my list of emergency bible passages. I flip to them whenever I need reassurance and guidance. It would be helpful (and calming) to make a list of your own. You can even color code them and list them individually for your needs. You can never have too many highlighters, markers, stickers, colored pencils or post it’s to decorate and code your bible with. It is by far one of the most calming activities I can do as a mom. It’s really good, “Me & God” alone time. You and him will cherish the time spent in each other’s presence. Remember that it is a relationship, it takes work, trust, confidence, foundation and love to keep it alive. You will not regret it.
My lovely readers, I pray you have a blessed day and a restful, spiritual week in His presence. Devote time each day to your bible time. And remember, one step and situation at a time. Breath and pray.
Father, as we start a new week and life’s burdens are weighing us down, I pray for the strength to endure them. I pray for the courage to put down my baggage that is anxiety and give my worries to you oh lord. I pray for the diligence to stop, breath and pray when I feel anxious about life. I pray for the strength to get rid of these anxious thoughts and to give myself over to you completely. I know you will never forsake me father and I thank you for always loving me and supporting me in my times of great need. It is in your righteous name I pray. Amen.
Love & Faith,
Mama J