Scripture: Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.
Romans 12:2 NLT
In this day and age there is lots of discussion about anxiety and fear. I am sure just as with any age there is plenty on which we could focus that would stress us out and bring rise to fear and worry. At different stages of life our anxieties morph and change. I can recall as a teenager I was worried about what I would be when I grew up. Everyone asks you, like you should have it all figured out. As a young married woman I worried if I was doing all I could do to contribute to my relationship and the establishment of our home. As a young mother I never could find a quitting place. I worked hard to do all and be all I could be. I worried about guiding my children toward being good adults. Now that I am well past the "young" adjective I worry about being responsible enough to prepare for retirement. There is always something... yet in Philippians 4:6-7 God reminds us, "Don't be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And you will find peace." (That last part was my paraphrase.)
So how and why do we fret? I definitely think for me it is a control issue. If I can just control everything and make it turn out the way I think it should, I'll be fine. Which when typed, sounds almost comical. How many times has that actually happened? Rarely. So how do we focus more on peace and less on anxiety? I think it is a renewing of our mind. God must change the way we think! I'm finding there isn't less about which to worry, ever. Instead I must focus on bringing peace into those stressful situations.
I recently sat in a circle of friends brainstorming ways we could allow God to transform our thinking. One friend suggested we have a place we could go, mentally. A place of peace you can imagine and visualize that will remind you of where you have experienced God's peace in the past. I loved that idea! As I moved forward I began to seek God about where my happy place might be. Over the course of two weeks, memories flooded my mind. To my surprise, I uncovered memories of my childhood home. I recalled almost every tree and shrub in my parents' yard: a cotton wood tree, peonies, lilac bushes, chestnut trees, tulips, mimosa trees, cherry trees, a giant willow tree, tiger lilies, clematis vines, butterfly bushes... I could keep going! I even recalled how that same yard comforted my dad as he planted flowers, fruits and vegetables. I lovingly remembered how my mother loved her back porch and how each family member and friend had taken comfort on that same slab of concrete over the years.
Nature was clearly a theme as we discussed in our circle of friends, but never before had I seen the subtle ways God has comforted me throughout my life until I began actively looking for the mental places I might go to find God! No doubt it was a miraculous encounter that superseded any anxiety I might have had and shifted my focus onto The Comforter instead of trying to find comfort! That was a big transformation of my thinking.
This week in your quiet time ask God to give you reminders of where you have been comforted. Go there in your mind. You my find those places closely akin to suffering, but we often need to recall all of God's acts of faithfulness, so that we are focused on The Comforter instead of comfort.
Leslie Stephens
Winchester, TN by way of Newark, NJ
Prayer: Comforting God, do not let us spiral into anxiety. Instead let us be focused on your faithfulness and recall your promises. Teach us to find places of renewal and comfort that will transform our thinking and generate peace in the midst of suffering. Amen.
Prayer Tip: Seek God to find a mental location to which you can retreat in times of stress that will remind you of God's faithfulness.
