Anxious Thoughts

I’ve been known to worry now and then. I don’t feel like I let it consume me (although my wife might say otherwise) but there are certainly times when I am more anxiously concerned than others.

I worry about what people think of me, whether I am making the right choice for my family’s future, about parenting decisions and how it affects my children, and whether I’m doing a good job in my calling. We also have three daughters who will all be in college in the next three years, vehicles to replace, and other financial thoughts for our future. Then there’s the (not so) distant idea of weddings and the next challenges of parenting adults. In retrospect, perhaps I do worry a touch more than I originally thought.

Some days it can be easy to get caught up in anxiety and all it entails. I certainly can’t solve all of those concerns right now. Perhaps I can calm my mind by asking a simple question:

Do I trust God to give me what I need for right now?

I can try to plan effectively and be wise with what I choose, but at some point I have to learn to trust God and believe in His provision. I don’t think it means I shouldn’t think about the future, but my trust in Him should help me to stop worrying about it quite so much.

Wedding March

I have officiated a number of weddings and always enjoy the opportunity to be part of such a special day. Even though my primary responsibility that day is to marry the couple, I also step into the role of being the cool, calm voice of reason. When nerves start to fray and anxiety kicks in, I work to keep things moving forward and people relaxed. 

The nervous bride is almost always anxious about the day & what is about to happen after months (years?) of planning. I give her simple verbal reinforcement: you have already done the hard part by showing up and looking beautiful. Your next job is to walk when it's your time to walk & say what you're told to say. Before you know it, you'll be married and the true relationship can begin.

There are parallels to this in our relationship with God. We're here in the process now and might be feeling some anxiety about what is next, but being obedient is the first hard step. Not that there won't be difficult steps along the way, but sometimes we need to be reminded to walk where God wants us to walk & to say what God wants us to say. It takes the pressure off of us & causes us to rely on His ability to make things happen. The relationship that follows after we make this public statement of our intentions will be better than we dreamed of when we began.