Our Plans, God's Preparation
Humans are designed to plan, but our knowledge is limited. We can trust that God is preparing things in ways we can't imagine, and we can trust Him with our future.
When the things we fear continue into a more general, sustained, long-term uneasy state of mind it becomes anxiety. Anxiety is distracting care. While there are legitimate daily concerns about things like health, safety, and relationships, anxiety is a state of mind where our thoughts are continually pulled to dwell on circumstances.
Behind anxiety is the basic assumption that God isn't involved in our situation for our good. Looking at things from that perspective, our nature is to think and respond to things apart from God in the picture.
The Lord tells us not to be anxious. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:6-9 NIV).
Humans are designed to plan, but our knowledge is limited. We can trust that God is preparing things in ways we can't imagine, and we can trust Him with our future.
It sounds like a cliché, but the best is yet to come. The far side of 50 is a good place to be. Despite the losses, aging is not about losing.
Good or bad things can be stressors therefore stress is unavoidable. Anything that stresses one aspect of our being affects our total being.
We all have an intuitive sense of justice and that wrong must be atoned for. But because of our sin nature we are prone to self-atonement and false guilt, a sense and thought that we must somehow pay the penalty ourselves.
Each weekday at 7:40 a.m. and again at 4:30 p.m. my stress level rises considerably. This stress can last anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes, depending on—you guessed it—how traffic is. Yes, I'm talking about my work commute.
Don't sweat the small stuff—in fact, the big stuff isn't worth the sweat either.
Self-esteem is tied to our sense of belonging, our sense of worth, and sense of accomplishment. Our problem is that sin affects every part of our being including our mental perceptions.
Parents and significant people in students' lives largely contribute to setting the atmosphere for the school year. It's so important for students and teachers to see that parents care, are involved, and know what's going on.
Over the years, though, I've come to realize it's important to be honest with our children when they ask those hard questions that don't have straightforward answers.
Maybe you've felt the terrifying grip of fear, anxiety, and worry. Banishing these peace-stealers requires understanding and learning what the Bible teaches about them.