Previously, we talked about the fear that sometimes descends over us like an unwelcome blanket, smothering us. And yet, we cling to our fear as a self-soothing exercise. We are used to it.
How do we throw away the fear that always seems to linger on our hands, like unwanted gum we are trying to put in the trash?
So I woke up this morning in a tizzy. A tizzy of frenetic brain activity. Some might even be so low as to assume that someone of my high spiritual caliber was struggling with worry.
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
I poured out my heart to my empathetic husband, tenderly giving him glimpses and opening my heart to him this morning, as we sat next to each other, coffees in hand, neither of us quite awake yet.
His sensitivity to me pouring out my bleeding heart in front of him was on full display, evidenced by what he said next.
He said only two words: “YOU? Worry?”
Wait. Was that mock surprise? Could that (possibly!) be sarcasm in his voice?
No, it couldn’t be!
But was that a slight smile on the corner of his lips that he couldn’t quite repress? Impossible. But, yes, I do find myself worrying a smidge about a few things (every day).
Was he making fun of me?
Well, maybe, but sometimes that’s what we need each other for. In this case, however, he was wrong. AS IF I’m the kind of person who worries every day!
Well, my editor says I need to be more honest as I write articles, so there might be a twinge of truth in what he hinted at.
And when I went upstairs to my prayer room to begin my day (See! I AM spiritual! I don’t care what they say!), I wondered if Jesus would agree with my husband that I tend to worry a smidge more than necessary.
“Oh, you of little faith,” is the thought that comes immediately to mind, on repeat, whenever my mind quiets or when I begin my prayers lately.
I think this is a term of endearment in how God speaks to me with these words, but you can interpret them however you like. (If you have even less faith than I do, for example, you might take the words literally.1 ) Then, I wondered if Holy Spirit was perhaps reminding me to number each of my worries and then to lift each one to Him, one by one.
#1 – I listed a problem. I lifted my problem to God. “What did I already say?” was what I seemed to be reminded of in my heart. Oh yeah! Holy Spirit had already been nudging me towards action in that area.
#2 – I listed another problem. I remembered that God has the whole world in His hands, and so if my hands aren’t big enough to hold the world, that’s okay. He’s got this.
#3 – Etc., Etc.,
“I got out of worry!” I jubilantly announced as I walked downstairs later that morning.
My husband didn’t look up from his phone.
My daughter didn’t notice me.
My dog, however, looked up at me, expectantly, tail wagging. At least my dog wanted to hear what I had to say! (Or maybe he really wanted breakfast?)
My (human) family was less impressed with my newfound wisdom and clarity because this is what happens often (more often than I care to admit, actually).
I accidentally take on all the cares and worries of the world on my back, again.
It feels amazing to me (swapping a twinge of suffocating anxiety for a smidge of sanity), but it happens every time that I remember to do this exercise.
So my family simply ignores me. This ritual has become a part of the mundane. But it is a transformative mundane, nonetheless.
And that has some sort of value.
“You aren’t solely responsible for the entire cause of and solution for climate change,” was one of the thoughts that clarified my thinking in the prayer room one morning. True story! And so I could live a little freer, with a little more joy.
I remembered some stuff that I already knew, but I had forgotten again.
And I’ll probably have to do that tomorrow. And the next day, too. And probably every day.
Are you feeling a bit heavy today? As the song below mentions the lilies and sings, “if I listen closely, I can hear her sing to me,” try numbering your worries, one by one, lifting them to a God who loves you and loves the world and has a plan for you. What do you sense in your heart as you do this today, friend? And I pray you will also soar (like me!).
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
. . . when you yield to the life of the Spirit . . . you will . . . be . . . soaring
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!
Photo Credits: Carrying The Cares Of The World, Too? (That’s Too Hard A Way To Be Amazing) by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash, Why Not Soar, Little Ducks? by Rachel Fang on Unsplash
“Yeah, I don’t even know how I found her,” I mentioned to my husband offhandedly, as I distractedly finished my lunch. I had forgotten.
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
We were talking about my chiropractor, who was like a gift from God, healing my back with her expertise.
The next morning, my prayer group reminded me how I had found her. Years earlier, a friend had some trouble with her foot. She mentioned the name of the person who is now my chiropractor.
Her, Holy Spirit seemed to nudge my heart.
My friend was reluctant to share her contact information with me. “I have no idea if she even adjusts backs,” she cautioned.
Her, Holy Spirit seemed to repeat.
I was in a phase of rejecting all therapy at that time.
Everything I tried, every physiotherapist, chiropractor, masseuse, and others had made me worse. Much worse. I was afraid to try anyone else.
“I’ll just have to solve this on my own,” I had thought.
But with a nudge from God, I made the call. I was tense and nervous in her office that first day. But she became the gift God gave to me.
And I was thankful for her.
Until I forgot about her (Hey! It happens!)
Months later, I hobbled around, one hand on my back, bent over and twisted.
Aside: This is a picture of me at the gym so you can be suitably impressed with how strong I am!
Wait – I meant to put in this picture1, below – Whatever!
But on that (annoying) day, after my too-intense workout, I could feel my lower back muscles clench, pushing me into a C-shape. “This strain will probably get better on its own,” I thought. I was in denial, again, but my body kept slowly bending me over.
The name of my chiropractor popped into my head.
Oh right! But we were leaving on holiday.
I didn’t think I had the time to see her, and she is normally booked weeks in advance, anyway.
I continued to pack, holding my aching back. But again, and again, the chiropractor’s name went through my head that morning, as I was thinking of other things. This is one of the ways God speaks to us.
I finally called the chiropractor, the one I hadn’t seen in five months, the one I had somehow forgotten about after a season of happy back. She surprisingly had one cancellation that morning, which worked perfectly before we left on holiday. Her touch was like the hand of God.
I don’t mean to be overly dramatic, but that is how it felt to me.
My body obeyed the chiropractor’s touch and re-aligned. My posture was upright. I (carefully) went about my day, and in only several days, instead of several months, I was running again.
I could run faster, complete the triathlon, and horse around with the kids again sooner, much sooner.
(There is another and another who helped my back a ton as well, but those are different stories.)
God walked with me in my pain, and His Spirit guided me to a person who used her skills to allow God’s healing through my body.
And I have remembered, now, to be thankful to God for her, too.
If I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me.
God, you long to give out treasures, but we so infrequently come to You to receive. Help us, Jesus, to run to You as a small child in distress runs to their parent, longing for an embrace. May we trust You more deeply with our headaches, heartaches, body aches, and spiritual aches.
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!
Photo Credit – Yeah! I Feel Like That, Too! by Thomas Oxford on Unsplash, Me! by Random Person Standing Nearby, and Wow! She’s STRONG! by Marvin Cors on Unsplash (No Wait – Reverse The Order Of Those Last Two Photos – Whatever!)
1 What? WHO said that’s a “Training Bar” and “Training Weights”! You can’t prove it from that photo! (To my editor: Can they?)
I had a moment where I thought, “Wow! EVEN I didn’t know that! I’d better write that down!”
You see, I’ve been attending church for a LONG time, so there isn’t much I don’t already know!
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
Actually, the full truth is that there are many things I ONCE knew but then forgot, and had to be taught again, which is slightly different (technically speaking). And in fact, this is where most of my “new” information seems to come from as I’ve gotten a bit older.
For example, when I was a teenager, I proudly announced, “God, I surrender all that I have to You!”
A couple of decades later, I confessed to a mentor that I was having trouble surrendering everything to God. “It’s a lot easier to give God everything when you don’t have anything to give,” was her unperturbed quip. (Her comment was slightly insensitive, don’t you think?)
But she was older than me, so she had a lot more experience with knowing stuff, not applying it, forgetting it, and then trying to relearn it again.
And the same thing happened in church recently. Of course, I know ALL that stuff! But then the speaker that day asked us what it seemed God was nudging us to do, before our immediate response to God of: “Nah!”
That speaker then insulted me by insinuating that fear holds us back from stepping into the adventure Jesus leads us on.
Please! But after I got mad at that speaker, I later realized he was right. (Don’t tell my husband. That’s our most consistent “Marriage Pattern” too, but I prefer not to admit the latter half of that first sentence, so our stable “Power Balance” doesn’t get disrupted.)
The speaker then described the following fears that often hold us back from spiritual authenticity:
1. Fear of Rejection – People may laugh at or ignore me!
Author’s Spiritual Reflection And Wisdom: Ha! I would never be afraid of that! I was voted the best dressed in my red-neck high school, after all! I obviously have style and a certain “coolness” which I take GREAT PAINS and often feel compelled (for some reason?) to humbly hint at when I am with others!
2. Fear of Inadequacy – I might not know enough or be anointed enough!
Author’s Spiritual Reflection And Wisdom: I feel very spiritual and EVEN connected to God in the morning after I pray! However, if my kids or anyone else shows up in my life, then I always seem to be yelling at them against my (spiritual) will! That proves that it’s OTHERS, not ME, that make me behave badly.
I would be a great Christian if it wasn’t for all the people.
3. Fear of Hostility – People could oppose me or harm me!
Author’s Spiritual Reflection And Wisdom: Yes! For example, I didn’t tell you my exact address. (Besides the fact that you don’t care) I heard there was a mean person on the internet once! And also, why DO more Christians feel “called” to Hawaii more often than to the Democratic Republic of Congo? Well, we won’t know the answers to ALL of life’s riddles!
4. Fear of Failure – What if no one responds?
Author’s Spiritual Reflection And Wisdom: Yes! The dreaded fate of not many “Likes” as we project our egos on the internet! Terrifying! Good thing that I know that “I am deeply loved exactly as I am, eternally, by God’s grace.” Actually, I’m trying to relearn (or perhaps to learn?) this truth, which has been helping me recently to drastically cut back on self-medication through excess chocolate consumption at one sitting, but that is another story for another time.
Hey! I can’t share ALL my wisdom at once! As mentioned at the beginning of this article, I’ve been going to church a LONG TIME, so OBVIOUSLY I know a lot of stuff!
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
As the song below asks, “Why are you so afraid to fail?” can you (Just for a moment, and not aloud if that’s impossible) admit to God that fear MAY just be holding you back a teensy bit, too, friend? And then, as she sings, “Why are you so afraid to lose if all the love you ever dreamed of already belongs to you?” what do you sense God whispering to your heart?
He’s super annoying because he went wherever God seemed to nudge him, even to the Democratic Republic of Congo (Who goes THERE for a holiday?)! “You did WHAT?” I asked. They spent 20 years helping people through war, genocide and guerrilla takeovers.
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
She is like that, too. “You did WHAT?”, I asked. I mean, just because I don’t hug every homeless guy I pass on the street and cry over them, doesn’t mean I’m not a caring person, too!
I mean, I know this stuff! – That we’re supposed to think of others, etc., etc.
Of course, I know that! I’ve sat in the same pew every week for 30 years! I mean, of course, I know what it means to be a real Christian! So when he (the guy in the first paragraph) said the following, of course, I already knew that stuff, too!
He asked us if we sensed that God was perhaps nudging us to do or say something, or to take action (i.e., kindness?) in some way.
“Nah,” I immediately thought.
Then I remembered. In the summer, I sent out this article as I thought perhaps, there was a nudge from Holy Spirit to open a forum so that we (You and I – the reader! Yes! I AM pointing my finger RIGHT through this article at you!) could get to know each other better and maybe share a coffee and some wisdom.1
“And so, if God is nudging you to begin something, why haven’t you done it yet?” was his (annoying) next question.
He said it’s because of fear. The NERVE! Well, we’ll talk about fear next time, because I once struggled with a twinge of fear and learned something to help me overcome it (a bit!), but that’s not for today.2
For today, THE POINT of this article is to announce that we will be hosting prayer times approximately twice monthly to connect and get to know each other.
And then, recently, instead of simply loudly blaring my thoughts to the world like I usually do as I write online, I decided to learn a bit more about YOU, the reader. I wanted to read (some) of your writing, from those of you who write, and (who knew?) you are actually very cool! All of you! It would be great to have tea and to share a prayer.
On the other end of the fear, God is there, ready to catch us when we fall.6
God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry . . . There is no room in love for fear.
As the song below sings, “I’ve been afraid” or “You’re bigger than all my problems,” consider asking God if He may be nudging you to step outside your fear and to take action, too. What do you sense in your heart (JUST before you immediately say, “NAH!”)? Jesus, help us tangibly experience more of Your love, so we can finally step out of fear, we pray.
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!
Photo Credit – Looks (A Bit) Like Me! (In Coolness, I Mean) by JUSTIN BUISSON on Unsplash
1 NO! I don’t need any wisdom! I’M the one sharing wisdom here, remember? This is a one-way street! And what did you say? Humility is overrated, especially when we’re at church, in my experience!
2 Did you notice that I am doing something SCARY by conquering my fear of rejection and inadequacy (We’ll talk about that another time) by hosting an online group where I MAY (gulp!) even get IGNORED -worst of all fates? Which is basically the same as conquering fear to help people through civil war in the Congo (see first paragraph), but who’s comparing? I hope my life inspires you, too! You’re welcome! Good luck!
Got a few minutes to let the rain bring life to your heart’s seeds this Easter?
The amaryllis opened its two enormous blossoms this week, just before Easter, revealing pink and white splendor and raising the scent profile of the room to a higher level.
Ready for a bit of magic to explode in your life, friends?
This advice could make you feel like a Superhero Mama (like me in the photo below – just sayin’) in Clark Kent clothes (OK – Clark Kent clothes with finger paint on them. Who’s looking THAT closely?) because this article is FILLED to the brim with advice about how to make your homeschooled kids clean up!
Restoring Life 