Beat of the Moment: Tasha Cobbs, “Happy” Listen Here
"In the multitude of anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul" or "When worries threaten to overwhelm me, Your soothing touch makes me happy" (Two different translations of Psalm 94:19)
I am a worrier by nature. I mentioned this in previous blogs, I'm sure. Even when there's nothing to worry about (is that ever the case), but if so, I'm still worrying. There usually isn't an outward sign of my worry, but my heart is usually heavy. Also, most times, I don't worry because I doubt God, but because I just want him to do things right away! I guess the fuel behind my worry is impatience. That is probably the real issue. At any rate, my anxiety usually manifests itself into sadness, frustration, unhappiness, or just me being upset inwardly. I harp on this notion of inward anxiety because you usually can't tell that I'm experiencing this sort of pain through my outward display. Do I know what the Bible says about worrying and anxiety? Absolutely. Do I feel that my faith is somehow less than because I stress so much? Honestly? No. However, I do understand the toll that it is taking on my spirit.
My pastor's sermon this morning was titled #UnderAttack. During his message, he said something that is very common, "life is too short for you to spend all of your energy in an upset mode." Nothing spectacular or extraordinary about that. We hear these words all the time. Right? People are dying all around us. Unexpected deaths and short-lived lives are in abundance. The phrase "life is too short" gets tossed around like good morning and how are you. It's no surprise to anyone that our days are numbered. Even after experiencing this firsthand, I still manage to allow negative energy to overtake or even consume parts of me, knowing that I should make the best of what I have while I am here.
Fast-forward to my AHA moment. . .after hearing those words, something in that line directed me to this: "honestly, if or when we are upset, mad, angry, confused, frustrated, anxious, stressed, or worried, we are outside of the Will of God for our lives." That may not mean a lot to you, but that means everything to me. Forget the fact that life is too short to spend our time or energy being upset, BUT thinking about the fact that when we are upset or any of the other negative adjectives listed above, we are separating ourselves from the plans/goals/visions/Will that God has for us. Wow. Maybe (probably), you've already thought about it this way. Maybe I'm being a little slow in this area; however, phrasing it like this made it a million times more pertinent for me. Those negative emotions are not of God in any way, shape, or form. Nothing about being stressed or confused is indicative of God. In fact, Corinthians states that “our God is not a God of confusion, but of PEACE.” And there are a million and one other scriptures dealing with casting out worry, anxiety, and stress.
So, Andrea, (and anyone else reading this), it was never God's intention for you to be upset. And if you find yourself in this predicament then you are ultimately outside of His Will for your life. He wants You to go through everything (problems, frustrations, struggles, battles, good times, bad times, proud moments, and challenging moments) with a joyful heart, a heart of praise and a heart of gladness.
Being in line with God's Will for my life means so much to me. I don't ever want to put myself in a place that would distract or disrupt His Will for my life. If it isn't orchestrated by Him for me then I don't want it. If that means never bearing signs of worry/stress/anxiety again because those things are throwing me off of His path for my life then I guess I better perk up now! Is this going to be a challenge? Yes. Does this mean not conveying any sort of emotion? No. Will there be times when I want to retire to my room and bury my head in a pillow and sulk in my sorrow? Absolutely. BUT because I know that those things will only push me further from the plan He has for my life, I will try my best to flee from those behaviors. I'm excited about holding myself to this. Outwardly, I am holding myself to: not speaking a negative word again, never complaining, never putting myself down, never writing or positing a tweet or Facebook status displaying worry or frustration. Rather, I will replace those things with prayers, scriptures, and supplications. Sad music? It has to go. May sound crazy, but I have the tendency to internalize things way too much. And I want my outward appearance to match the inner workings of my heart!
Because life is too short to harp on heavy thoughts and because the time I spend harboring negativity only places me further away from the Will of God for my life, I recommit my thoughts, my spirit, my soul, and my entire self to YOU!
"When worries threaten to overwhelm me, Your soothing touch makes me joyful"
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