Nail Biting Worries

     Thoughts drifted in the back door of my mind -- totally unaware of the subtle change, I subconsciously began to chew on a fingernail.  A bit later I found myself irritated by a few simple incidents and chewing on the second fingernail.

     Old habits die hard. 

     By supper I had complete mutilated one hand and had started on the second.  What a stupid habit, I chided myself.  It took until bedtime to recognize the cause of my nail biting day -- I'd been worrying.  

     About what?  Nothing of great significance, but those dangerous "little concerns", if allowed to go undetected, can leave me worse off than the big ones.

     Once I recognized what was happening, I began to speak God's truth...God, let your peace, the one that's beyond what I can imagine, GUARD my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)  My heart calmed and my mind fell silent!

     Somehow if my "radar for worry" isn't activated at all times these seemingly unimportant worries can take over and I find myself becoming overwhelmed with life.  I know this isn't the way God wants any of us to live -- but what are we to do?

     I picture a sweet child spinning and twirling with happy delight . . . Jesus was looking out for our best interest when he told us that, "Unless you CHANGE and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."  (Matthew 18:3)

     We transform our thinking from that of a stressed adult to that of a carefree child.

     By His strength, not ours, we have to surrender these concerns to Him ~ ONE AT A TIME.  As worries come to our minds, we release them immediately - not ignore the issues; we still have to deal with working things through, but without the worry with which the enemy wants to weigh us down.  No wonder we're told in I Corinthians to take thoughts captive and make them obedient.

     If your mind is simmering with shadows and your thoughts are flying faster than a bird in flight, stop, let go and give God the freedom to work each problem through with you and for you!

"Pile your troubles on God's

shoulders - He will carry your

load, He will help you out."

Psalm 55:22

Looking to the Future

How do you feel when you look to the future and what lies ahead for your family?  It may depend on how far you attempt to see, but what emotions surface first when you read that question about the future?  Is it anticipation?  Is it fear?  Is it excitement?  Is it dread?  It is important to know how we look to the future, because thoughts can simmer below the surface and affect how we deal with parenting in the present, either in positive or negative ways.  Allow me to illustrate.

If I were to look to the future with fear and dread, concerned that my 4 year old could become a rebellious teenager, how am I going to parent him now?  It will be out of unhealthy fear and possibly a desire to control his immature behaviour instead of a desire to shape and mold his heart.  Now, if I take that same 4 year old, but instead find my thoughts centered around looking to the future with anticipation and excitement for all that God has planned for him, what changes in me as a parent?  I gain the perspective that, although knowing there will be failures and bumps along the way, God has His hand on my 4 year old and I don't need to fear the future.  It suddenly sets me free to really enjoy these young years and trust the Lord with the years to come. 

Maybe that seems to obvious or simple, but I know from personal experience that the enemy is very subtle in the way he plants thoughts of worry in our minds.  It may be when we hear of a friend's teen becoming pregnant out of wedlock, or another who has been arrested.  It could be when we think back to our teen years and some of the mistakes we made, realizing desperately that we want to keep our kids from that same path.  Regardless of where the worry might come from, it is so important to take hold of all that we find weighing us down and GET RID OF IT!

How, you might ask?  Or, I have tried and it comes back?  The HOW is that we CHOOSE to give anything and everything that causes us concern and worry, over to God.  I Peter 5:7, in the Amplified version, says, "Casting the whole of your care (all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all) on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully." Casting, as we have said before, means throwing it far from us and not taking it back - saying out loud if needed, "God, I have been worrying about ___________ and   ___________ and  ______________, but I know that these are not my burdens to carry.  You have said that You care for me and that I need to give these cares to You.  So right now, even though I am tempted to worry about these things, I choose to leave it in Your hands and rest in You.  Thank you for caring for me, in Jesus' name, Amen."

What if you have done that and the worry still comes back?  Well, of course it does!  The enemy tempted you before to worry about those things and it worked, so why wouldn't he try again?  Take Philippians 4:6&7, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which trancends all understanding, will guard  your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  Know that once you have given these worries to God, thank Him that He is in control, look to the future with your trust in Him and let His peace guard your heart and mind.