We can become anxious for a number of reasons. Home life is rough, Don’t like your job, people being mean for no reason when you’re only nice to them, someone gets sick and you don’t know what to do, a bill comes in the mail that’s to much to pay or you found out you didn’t get into that school you wanted to attend.
The list can go on and on because there’s always something to worry about in life. I’ve found in my own life when I am anxious about something it honestly does me no good. Sometimes when I’m anxious I’ll get headaches that won’t go away or can’t sleep as good at night. Either way, it’s not healthy to be anxious.
What’s causing you to be anxious? How is it making you feel? Chances are , like me you notice your performance decreases. Maybe you don’t sleep as good, you feel down or just can’t seem to shake off the negative thoughts.
What do we do about it?
Just this last week I was thinking about something a lot that I have no control over. I could have all the money in the world, all the power in the world and I still couldn’t control what I was being anxious about.
When I was praying about this I felt led to go look up Psalm 94:19 which says:
When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. (Psalm 94:19)
I was talking with a middle school student about this verse the other day and I asked him the same question… what does this mean? Does the word consultation mean anything significant?
The student’s reply was something like this, “I had to a toothe-ache recently that was real bad. We called my dentist and we went in for a consultation where the dentist helped me a lot. The dentist told me how it was all going to be fixed and work out and I felt so much better after that visit rather than not knowing why I felt that way.”
That was eye opening to me when I heard it explained that way… when we have pain that don’t make sense, pain that someone brought on us, that we brought on ourselves or pain that has been with us for years, when we seek Jesus and his consultation on we began a process of healing.
Have you seeked consultation with Jesus or something else? Something beautiful happens when we take our problems off the throne and put Jesus on the throne. By doing this we humble ourselves and be reminded that Jesus is so much greater than the problem or pain we face. I really do believe Jesus does the most when we finally come to the end of ourselves.
I seeked Jesus earnestly about what I was anxious about and in the consulation He just kept reminding me that it’s ok and it’s going to make sense soon. There’s a blessing in being patient. And, seeking God’s guidance is never a waste – even if it takes time.
I’ve also found 4 things that seem to help me worry less and have good weeks. I try to be as consistent as I can with these 4 things, they may help you as well, take a look: 4 Things That Help Me Get The Most Out Of My Week – Bryant Westbrook
Reflect:
- What are you anxious about?
- What’s your fear behind being anxious?
- Have you consulted with Jesus about the pain or are you trying to deal with it on your own?
- What’s driving your decision making right now. Your emotions or asking Jesus and taking time to process?
Get alone with God and be honest. Let him know how you feel and what’s making you feel anxious. Put the situation in His hands and let Him have it.
Bryant Westbrook 