Take it, Jesus!
You may feel alone, but you’re not on your own
If He can hold the world, He can hold this moment
Not a field or flower escapes His notice
Oh, even the sparrow knows
He holds tomorrow.
Until I met Daniel, I really never knew that people didn’t worry like I did. I would get nervous about everything! Going to an unfamiliar place, calling to order a pizza, teaching a lesson at school, traveling during vacation, going to a meeting, the list goes on. Even the pressure of picking what I wanted on my sandwich at Subway was nerve wracking!
I grew up in a family of Nervous Nellies. They would worry about simple situations and get anxious about new experiences. So for me, I’m not sure if this was Nature or Nurture kicking in with all this worrying, but I kept pushing myself to push through, even though I was nervous. People probably never even knew I was ever feeling like my stomach was about to explode!
There are so many things in this world that can easily cause us to worry. What steals your joy?
In Philippians 4:6-7, we are told, “Do not worry about anything.” It doesn’t say, “Only worry about the big stuff,” or, “Just worry about a few things a day.” Not even close. It tells us specifically not to worry about ANYTHING. Man, that is tough to do! Instead, God asks us to give Him our worry. He cares about us and why we’re worried! And He says we will find peace if we do just that.
A few years ago, I went to a Beth Moore conference with Daniel’s mom and grandma in Ft. Wayne. It was awesome. Beth spoke the truth with such love, and by the end of the day, I felt like a kid on the last day of church camp…ready to go change the world! Until BAM! Beth caught me off guard with prayer time. She said, “Alright, now we are going to do some praying. I’m going to say a word, and if you feel this describes you, stand up.” The first word she said was not anything I thought I would hear her say. She said, “Panic.”
“What?!” I thought. “What a strange word to describe someone.” Then I realized she was talking about me. And I started to panic about having to stand up for ‘panic!’ I was worried about what Daniel’s family would think of me. Would they think I wasn’t good enough for Daniel because I was a panicker? Should I really stand up? But I went for it… I stood up. You know what? Daniel’s mom and grandma and some others around me laid hands on me and prayed for my panic. From that day forward, I haven’t panicked or worried or been anxious like I was in my past. There are still things I worry about, of course, but it’s nothing like it used to be.
Jesus wasn’t wanting me to change the world at the moment…He was wanting to change me. I found a peace that day that I’ve never felt before.
Here’s a challenge: This week, I challenge you to journal about the things in life that are worrying you. Write them down, all of them, even that little one about going to Subway ;). Then take a big ol’ marker and write over the top of your list, “Take it, Jesus! I give it to you because you care for ME!” Then, just sit for a second (or even a minute or ten) and take it in… just take a breath, and find life in the one who cares about us enough to take all of our worries. Nothing will surprise Him. Nothing will make Him angry with you. He knows it all anyway. Give it up to Him. Then ask Him for His peace and feel it wash over you like a wave. (And if you find yourself worrying again tomorrow, get out that journal and give it to Him again. Because He cares for you.)
Remember, If He can hold the world, He can hold this moment…
This is just the soundtrack of our life.
