Back to School Anxiety

If your children started school today, then you are probably feeling like a crazed mother this morning.  It’s a mixture of emotions between feeling excited that your children are moving to a new level, and feeling sad that they are moving to a new level. It’s hard letting our babies grow up!  However, we can’t get bogged down by anxiety.  We have to trust in the Lord to watch over them and protect them. 

So to all mothers fighting with anxiety this morning, let’s take a stand.  We have some choices to make:

1.  Pitiful or Powerful: Joyce Meyer said “You cannot be pitiful and powerful at the same time.” In other words, you are either going to sit, sulk and listen to the lies the enemy feeds you or (and this is the better option) you are going to believe in the word of God and receive the power he grants you through his Spirit.

2.  Rejoice: If you spend your energy on rejoicing, you’ll allow your flesh to rest in hope. Hope in what you may ask? Hope in God and that he will take care of all your cares if you will just trust in him. “Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.” – Acts 2:26

3.  Be Blessed: “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him”- Psalm 34:8

Will you take a stand today?

Do you trust me?

I was watching a video the other day that addressed the issue of faith.  In the video, the woman was challenged to trust Jesus.  Jesus asked her to allow herself to fall backwards and trust that he would catch her.  The woman hesitated but ended up allowing herself to fall back and of course, Jesus caught her.  Then, Jesus asked her to face him and allow herself to fall back.  Now granted, there was no one on the other side to catch her so the woman was fearful and told Jesus that she couldn’t do it.  Jesus asked her “do you trust me?” She responded with “Jesus, if I fall back, I’ll get hurt.  There’s no one there to catch me.” So she walked away from Jesus and didn’t follow thru with his request.

 

 

 

Can you relate to this story?  How many times have you been faced with challenges in life that aren’t clear?  You simply can’t see a resolution.  You know that you have to trust in God but you can’t rationalize your way through the problem so you doubt.  Many times, we need to be able to visualize the end result, or draft our own plan in order to follow through with something, but that’s not really having faith.  The bible describes faith as follows:  “Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].” (Hebrews 11:1, Amplified)

 

Now I’m not pretending that this is easy because it’s not.  However, we have to work with the faith we have.  Romans 12:3 says:  “God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Start with the faith you have and ask God to increase your faith.  As you grow in your spiritual walk and take steps towards developing your faith, God will increase your faith so that you can depend more on him.  I pray that we all get to the point in where we are able to face Jesus, fall back, and know with certainty that Jesus will create a way and not let us fall. 

 

Body Image

The struggles of life aren’t only those of daily living, but can also be of how we look at ourselves.  Many of us struggle with our body image.  However, God has made us all with special characteristics that make us who we are. “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27).  He loves us unconditionally even with flaws. 

When we struggle with body image issues, everything around us makes us upset.  We find ourselves thinking about how others might perceive us.  From the moment we begin to get ready in the morning, we begin to question: What will they say if I wear this? What will I look like to them? Do I look chunky? We need to accept ourselves for who we are.  God has!

Love yourself unconditionally and enjoy your life. Believe in Psalm 139:14 which says:  “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful.” Do not give others the power to control your thoughts, you body and what you desire to do or wear.  Regardless of your thoughts or actions, people will speak their mind, but it’s not something one has to accept in their life.  Move forward and see yourself as a graceful, beautiful being because that’s how God sees you.  Always think and say Jesus loves me, and I love myself.