Are You a Champion Worrier? Here’s How to Stop
“One day at a time…”
“Time heals all wounds…”
“Let go and let God…”
When you are going through a difficult season of life, do friends or family members recite sayings like this?
These catchy, feel-good expressions might work well on a T-shirt, but how do we really walk out these principles in our daily lives?
How do we let go of all the worry that we are clutching so tight and give it to God?
How do we truly have peace?
In the early years of our marriage, Gary and I faced a lot of struggles. We were newlyweds, still trying to get comfortable in our roles as husband and wife, and we found ourselves buried by financial stress. Gary suffered from terrible panic attacks; he was constantly worrying about how he was going to provide for our family.
During the same time, my daughter Amy started battling fear and having terrible nightmares. If you’re a parent, I don’t have to tell you what it feels like to see your child suffer.
I knew I had a choice: submit to worry or rise up in faith.
As a young woman, I spent years being a champion worrywart. But I want to tell you something VERY important: No matter what the enemy tells you … you always have a choice to believe it!
I made the choice to be a warrior. I prayed for Amy and Gary constantly during that time. I prayed for God to reveal His plan for our family; I gave Amy Bible verses to help her cast down anxiety. I let her know she had a choice and encouraged her to ask God to unleash His power to help her overcome her circumstances.
Very quickly, she began to experience relief until she was completely healed of her anxiety and nightmares! And Gary experienced complete healing, too, and made it his mission to help other families get out of debt and take control over their lives using Kingdom principles.
I learned a valuable lesson during that time: all it takes is a moment to go from your struggle to your breakthrough!
I know life can be hard, and it’s normal to experience tough seasons, but I want to encourage you to remember that the enemy has no power over you unless you give it to him!
It’s my passion to help you experience the kind of wholeness and peace that ONLY God can give, and that’s why I put together this resource.
I hope these encouraging words and practical tips will help you reject despair, choose joy, and empower you to not settle for anything less than the amazing life God has for you.
Ignore What’s Popular in the Culture
First off, if you’re looking to the culture to tell you how to be happy…
Stop! Caution! Dangerous road ahead!
In the culture, what’s most important is self. Do you know that there is a National Selfie Day? The culture is creating new ways to celebrate “self”!
But, as Christians, we know the most important thing is God and finding our God-given purposes so we can help others.
Hebrews 6:10 (NIV) tells us, “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”
After Gary and I made it through that hard time, we realized that God wanted to use us to help others get free and experience all God had for them, so don’t let earthly circumstances bring you down! Sometimes, God will work in the storm to reveal His amazing purpose for your life.
Gary and I are living lives we never thought possible because we chose joy and said yes to God’s purpose for our lives!
You will only have true happiness when you are walking out your God-designed destiny.
Find the Calm in the Middle of the Storm
No one knows better than a mother that finding “perfect” moments of quiet calm is about as likely as buying a winning lottery ticket.
Sometimes I feel like the moment I sit down and think I’ve found that little window of calm, someone or something crashes into the picture.
In fact, just as I sat down outside to write today, a loud, obnoxious burst of a lawn mower and weedwacker filled the air.
How am I supposed to write like this?!
I have an important choice here: cross my arms and silently sulk until the invaders are gone, or laugh.
Yes, you read that correctly—laugh!
God is not conspiring against you to interrupt your plans for the day, but the enemy will use ANY opportunity you give him to steal your peace. You need to be able to find peace in any situation.
Real peace DOES NOT depend on perfect circumstances.
For many years, my days were filled with dirty diapers, meal preparation, mounds of laundry—that would rival Kilimanjaro—and scattered books and worksheets that I used to homeschool my children.
During those times, if I waited for my circumstances to give me peace … I would still be waiting. Ha!
I loved raising my children and being a big part of their education, but it was hard. During those days, I felt stressed and overwhelmed and—to be honest—like I wasn’t going to succeed.
Pity party for one, please!
Early on, I had so much self-doubt. I was my own biggest critic! Sound familiar?
I once saw a little comic strip that explained self-doubt so well. In the comic, there was a little man carrying a BIG boulder on his back, labeled “self-doubt,” and a large hill in front of him. At the top of the hill, there was a sign that read “goal.” Above the man’s head, there was a little cartoon thought bubble that read, “Maybe it would be easier if I put this down.”
That little comic says it all! That was me! My self-doubt was keeping me from tackling my God-given purpose.
So, how do we get rid of that heavy boulder of self-doubt?
Go to God and submit your thoughts to Him, and His Holy Spirit will give you REAL peace, and His Word will overpower ANY circumstance.
If you depend on your situation to give you peace, well, you might spend your life waiting!
Rely on God to infuse His power in your circumstances, and you’ll have the victory!
P.S. – The weedwacker is gone and the lawnmower is nothing but a distant buzz. Instead of getting annoyed and going inside, I took a break from writing, sipped my coffee, and waited for the noise to die down.
Victory!
It might sound silly to congratulate myself, but each time we stop the negative thought train, we have done a fantastic job! It was Joyce Meyer who called the mind a battlefield, and rightly so!
Don’t be shy about patting yourself on the back when you’ve won the battle over your thoughts!
Laughter Makes the Best Memories
When I was a young woman, I struggled with perfectionism. I wanted to be perfect—hair, clothing, shoes, makeup. I didn’t realize at the time that my insecurity was derailing my God-given purpose. My worth was wrapped up in other people’s opinions. If I was perfect, I thought people would accept me, people would love me.
When you don’t know who you are in Christ, you feel insecure, but when your identity is firm in Christ, you are free to be who you are, who God made you to be.
When you learn who you are, you trade perfectionism for enthusiasm—enthusiasm for relationships, for life, for your God-designed dreams, and most importantly, for joy and laughter!
My favorite memories with my children are the imperfect memories, just us laughing our way through the messy times.
I want to share a little anecdote with you that I think will help you better understand what I mean by trading perfectionism for enthusiasm.
About a year ago, my little granddaughter Ivory was at our house for the afternoon. Well, I just let her lead me into each new adventure, and one adventure she had in mind was playing with ALL grandma’s makeup.
By the time she was done with me, I had dark eyeshadow running down my cheeks like tears. I looked downright scary! But we were having such a great time.
Watch this hilarious video of us, and, please, don’t judge! Ha!
https://youtu.be/EDjwocgdG38
I wanted you to see that video because it just goes to show that the best memories are the messy, impromptu ideas that sometimes don’t go as planned. If I had been worried about what I looked like, or the mess we had to clean up, or fretted about who might drop by the house at that moment—by the way, a police officer dropped by several minutes after I finished cleaning my face because our alarm went off by mistake!—then I never would’ve gone along with it.
Be secure enough to be messy and laugh your way to great memories!
I want to encourage you to take the steps that will help you take control of your thoughts and emotions, conquer fear and anxiety, fulfill your God-given assignment, and become a source of laughter and peace for those around you….
That’s why I’ve developed the Happy Life Subscription Service!
With the Happy Life Subscription Service, you’ll have access to every show I’ve ever made, which is over 8,000 minutes of content, as well as so many exclusive resources.
I’ve covered everything from parenting and marriage to faith and finances, so I can be your cheerleader, friend, and mentor for every situation and in every season of life!
To get started, go to https://bit.ly/2KOTPe8 and take the FREE happiness quiz! This fun, easy quiz will allow me to tailor your content to meet your specific needs. I’ll also provide personal mentorship for you based on the areas you care about the most.
I can’t wait to embark on this incredible journey with you!
Let’s tackle your dreams together!
