Matt 6:25,27 “Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; not about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?…Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”
Psalm 94:19 In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.
Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad.
I used to find myself worrying all the time. All the time. Was I doing this correctly? Had I written my best and done my best to finish an assignment for school? Would I get a good grade? And as an adult, will I have enough money this week for groceries and to buy school clothes for my son? My dog is sick and I can’t afford to take him to the vet. And you can easily get the idea . . . worry, fret, worry, fret some more.
Initially, when I was first accepting God’s invitation, I expected all of life’s problems to be a gone, finished. After all, I belonged to God. He is the Supreme, the Almighty, and He loves me. Everything would be smooth sailing for all time. And I wouldn’t have to do anything.
No, that’s not the way it works. You don’t just say I believe, and then go willy-nilly about your business. So when I began hanging with others who had more experience with the faith, with bible studies and learning, I started studying more and realized this is a relationship; and in a relationship there is give and take, dependency, trust, following, maintaining contact, and learning new things about the other all the time.
But as I came to read more of God’s words, thoughts and promises, to attend new and different bible studies, and to have other Christians begin to mentor with me, I began to see that He does not want us worrying and fretting. He wants us to work hard at whatever task we have, but not to fret and become burdened. He wants us to release those negative feelings to Him. God wants to help us in all areas of our lives. It is not just a suggestion when His word says several times, “Come and I will give you rest.” He wants that for us. (Oh, so You mean things like ‘do not be anxious….come and You will let me rest….You will allow me to not tire and to have eagle’s wings….’)
I have to say I now release many of my frustrations to Him. But yes, oh yes, I still get inordinately frustrated if I cannot find my keys when I have to be somewhere at a certain time. It almost seems like I don’t lose my keys unless I have an appointment! My phone is another thing I lose often. Oh, it’s somewhere in the house, but where? What was I doing when I last used it? Laundry? Oh great, I have three floors and changed all the beds, and have been cooking and doing chores on each floor of the house. It would be nice if I could call it and locate it; but alas can’t call it without a phone!
Finally, I did get a locator beep system for both keys and phone; if I lose either, I just press the remote and follow the sound of the beep. Much less aggravation now.
I try to be kinder to myself by avoiding scold mode; “Why don’t you have a specific place to keep keys? How could you lose them? You needed them to drive home. Yes, car is in driveway. Hmm, could keys be in ignition? Down two flights of stairs, no, not there…” I know God wants us to not fret, worry, and get frustrated. And I have gotten better at not getting as irritated as I did.
Now I tend to ask Him where my items are, and try to wait to hear the reminder of the last placement. Oh, right! That’s where I dropped them!
You can probably guess at the rest of the litany until I find the item. Once found, then it’s “Thank You, thank You, thank You, Father. I’m sorry I got frustrated with this loss. I KNOW I am not supposed to let this stuff bug me. I SO appreciate You reminding me where the item might be.”
As I am rushing around looking, I can hear the gentle voice reminding me to not get excited, this is a test. I have gotten better; my scores used to be about a D+ in the patience and worry departments. Now I’m probably a B+. I worry so much less, but still I can feel frustrations build in me during times like this. And I know the beast is around hoping I will fail so he can remind me I am not good, still haven’t got ‘control’ to not lose patience, and you’re truly such a failure. I can refute him and his lies, and pull out scripture and send him scurrying. And be pleased, that I know how to relieve myself of his lies, and to get him to slink away
If I feel an underlying niggle of disquiet, I ask God what’s going on. “Are You trying to get my attention about something? Have I an unconfessed sin, or something else You want me to deal with?” I know He does not give us a spirit of fear. I also know who does. If after praying, I have no clear direction as to the cause of the unease, I know it is the beast who lies. And okay, cool, “I don’t follow you, so done with the disquiet and come Holy Spirit to relieve me .” Such a relief to know I have this available to me. I am not alone. My God is with me and He does not want me worried, afraid, and overburdened. He is there. He just wants me to be grateful to Him, to trust Him and to be the best I can be with His direction.
I am so blessed You guide me and “mybellaviews.”
Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Psalm 25:5, 26 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation, on You I wait all the day. . .Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You
Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!
Psalm 37:7,9 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. . . . For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.
Hebrews 9:28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
I have a hard time waiting. It’s always been an issue for me.
Have you ever stopped and wondered about how often God’s Word says to “Wait….?” I knew it was fairly often He spoke and commanded this, but I had to look it up. The biblical website I use says it’s 106 times, and other variations of the word, such as waits, waiting, and so forth claims it is 141. So obviously, at times it is important to God for us to wait.
So I know He knows how difficult it has been in the past for me to wait. Just the idea of the word used to make me grit my teeth. I was always in a hurry, and never wanted to wait. Thankfully, I had to wait to achieve certain things in my life.
My parents said I had to wait and save for a bicycle, I was too young and not skilled enough to get a “big girl bike” so I was given one for my sixth birthday. And still took a few dumps off learning to ride it. They said I had to wait until I was of an age before I could start dating. They were right, as I was too young before then. But at those times, it felt like forever, so unfair, and I felt so discouraged.
I have the same issue toward the end of winter when I am impatient to see my garden in color instead of the brown sticks sticking out of the ground. I hurry off to the store and buy pansies, petunias and daffodils and narcissi. And of course, within a very few short weeks, my bulbs push up the green leaves of amaryllis, my roses start sending out green leaves, and there is no longer a need to wait. My desire to see flowers and color is answered. But, again, I couldn’t wait once I began seeing the different Spring flowers.
Waiting. I am better now than I used to be for certain, but it is not always easy, but I have a more in-depth skillset now to wait. I know there are several verses reminding me—commanding me—to wait. I am not in charge even though I used to believe I was and it was necessary. Thankfully I am not in charge. I have finally learned that God is and His plan is much better than my own. I have caused a lot of my own problems trying to not wait and hurry along something. And frequently the cost has been dear.
There are still times the sneaky, lying beast tries to creep in and give me many reasons why I deserve something now, or if I wait I will lose the opportunity and this is such a great one, it would be awful if I lost out. The lies and cajoling can go on and on if I hesitate and debate.
But again, my skill set has greatly improved. I know the beast is sneaky, lying and around. I know he tempts and tries to get me to do something wrong, to be impatient, to ultimately his goal is to see me fail. He enjoys seeing me disregard God’s will and follow him. And I fail because I have not brought the verses to memory to refuse him, to deny temptation, to ultimately wait. I know the steps to take to defeat the beast for the moment; it’s a matter of doing it.
It’s a matter of waiting until I know what God wants. If He is saying ‘wait, don’t spend your money on this foolishness now,’ then I have learned I will be disappointed if I jump and do it. I have the verses to strengthen me, to help me wait, to know He has a plan for me, and certainly I have learned that I have made significant errors over my lifetime by not waiting.
It is certainly a common fault many have. I am thankful that by making mistakes, learning from them, and realizing that waiting is not a fatal event, I am easier with waiting than when I was younger.
Thank You for teaching me how to wait for Your timing for me and “mybellaviews.”
Matthew 19:16-22 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.
“Which ones?” he inquired.
Jesus replied, “ ‘ You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ “
“All these things I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
Jesus answered, “if you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give t the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Mark 10:17-23 and Luke 18:18-25 tell of the same story
Who is God to you? Do you believe in Him? Is He important? Is He the most important part of your life and thoughts?
I have to admit He was not always first in my mind. I would get drawn away from seeking Him and deal with whatever “urgency” was in my life, and not take my fear, concern, worry, and whatever to Him, ask for help, and then deal with the matter. So I spent a bunch of my life dishonoring Him. He wanted to have me lean on Him when needed, to seek Him always, and to praise Him.
In all honesty, although I would say I was worried about this and that, so and so, and whatever might be happening in their life….it was all about me. I was concerned with how an illness or someone’s loss would affect me. How much time would I have to spend helping them find comfort? Or loss of a relationship and dealing with ‘the woe is me’ (which I am a huge proponent of…..I can complain and whine more than anyone else I know. But I would be sincere, or in a hurry and not effective in helping others,?
I think many people don’t give their all to God. They voice a belief in God, but it is not a knowledge, a relationship, a dependence of Him; the fact He is creator, He is all, our Healer, our Savior, our Intercessor, and we should be awed by all He has created and done for us. And it must be sincere.
Just voicing a belief is just not the same, and not enough.
A shrug and “yeah, sure, I believe.” That is not enough. He wants more from us. He wants us to seek Him, to acknowledge Him and praise Him. He wants to be important to us, not just a casual shrug and acknowledgement, but IMPORTANT. He can and will help us with all things. He wants the best for us. . . and because He is omniscient and always, He knows what is best for us, even if our hearts desire craves something else.
And He delivers in His time. We can moan and whine about time and how long, and if it is meant to be….and if so then, when? We can ask repeatedly all we want…(which by the way is whining, and NOT waiting patiently for His time,) but He answers in His time.
He is always giving us good gifts, He always wants the best for us, and He is with us each moment of each day, even when we are struggling and feeling alone. . . He is there.
After a bit of going to church attendance, and being disappointed not hearing and knowing God’s will for me, that over a period of time, I finally pleaded and just wanted the little sign I might still be in His good graces. And it was clear when I got the feeling in my gut that He warned He was not taking half measures. I couldn’t dance on both sides of the pond and not get wet. It was necessary to take a firm stand.
After all, the good rich man who approached Him and asked how He could get into heaven, when told he needed to give his wealth to the poor and follow Him….he turned away, dejected as he was unable to face giving up all to follow. (Matt 16:22-26, Mark 10:17-23. Luke 18:18-25). And I admit the idea of giving up all scared me. Would I become a bag lady, without even a cell phone so my kids could find me? And what about if they really needed me… to babysit, to sit in a hospital and talk with medical personnel, or what if they needed shelter after a natural disaster, or something? Give up all? That scared me. How much all? Just a little bit? Sure, I can donate clothing, cookware, food, furniture, but all?
Most of us want to not be burdened and inconvenienced. We want to retain our money—after all there may be a rainy day; we might have to buy ourselves out of a problem. We are selfish. Thanks to Adam and Eve, I believe that problem has been multiplied astronomically.
We are selfish. We think first and foremost of ourselves, our convenience, our desire, our time, our expenses, and do not just readily give. And I mean give of ourselves, not just finances, but our time, our support, our kindness, our compassion, our abilities, our love, and that is exactly what Jesus did.
He gave of His time, He listened and endured our selfish behaviors, He taught so we could strive to be more like Him, so we could seek a relationship with Him. He opened His arms and willingly laid down on that beam of wood, and subjected Himself to spikes being hammered into His hands and feet, so He could be the last blood sacrifice, so for those of us who believe He is the Savior, He is God who walked on this earth, and willingly gave up His life so we, if we chose to believe He is savior and He is God, we could be saved and live in eternity when our earthly vessels give out.
For those of us who believe in Him, we know where we will spend eternity. It does not end here when we breathe our last, as long as we believe in Him.
I pray you believe and know you will spend eternity with Him when your earthly time ends. I am so thankful I know where I will be when my time here ends for me and ‘mybellaviews.’
1 Peter 5:7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
We need to make the decision to enjoy every single day of our lives. It’s not irresponsible to enjoy your life while you have a problem. Joyce Meyer, pg 140 Inspirational Quotes, 2019
We are so often confident we are in charge. And occasionally we are, but that is just because there has not been a glitch in your plans for that day or moment.
I won’t say I don’t make plans, I do, and I am “in charge” of accomplishing them if time works properly, if there is no emergency, if there is no huge traffic jam, if it is God’s will. And that is the most important thing.
We are not truly in charge. He is. And since I have relinquished more control to Him, my life runs smoother. I no longer trust each day will be smooth and without a hitch. When they are, I am grateful and thankful, but when there is a hitch that knocks me into a plan change, bow I immediately pray. I need Him to help me get to where I need to be, to soothe my fears and anxieties if that is the concern, to reorganize and alert any who need to know my altered plans. I need Him.
So we move about as though we are in charge and capable and we are—until we aren’t.
It took me years to realize that I am not always in charge. Circumstances, problems, health, and other issues arrive that need to be dealt with that we cannot always foresee and fix. We do the best we can, act and react to each issue, but we can feel out of control and frightened, anxious and alone.
I am so relieved I know I am not in charge. When I was things flummoxed me when good or bad, unexpected issues developed. It is a relief to know that things are not in my control and I can handle things, but I need Him with me. Alone, I was just not enough. It is a relief to know I am not dealing with anything alone. I may have to wait AT TIMES for His direction, but it does come.
So now when my day gets an interruption, I just ask how He wants things to be handled, and they work out. (I must admit, I probably indulge in 5-7 seconds of grumbling and groaning, but then I remember He is in charge, so quickly ask what He would like me to do). Some things may need to be changed to another day, but they workout.
“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” Pg 149 Marquee Messages by Shirley Jones Garmon, 2000.
Thank You that I realize You are in charge of me and “mybellaviews.”
2Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.
Romans 5:17-19 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
Therefore, as through the one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
What brought you to say God is bigger than you, He is the Creator, He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? Did you fall and weep realizing how unworthy you are? Or were you joyful, amazed at the forgiveness, the brightness, the freedom?
I was joyful, giddy, excited! I was a new person, no longer dingy and muddied with sin, but now clean, and my mind thought I must glow and was dressed in a lovely, flowy Roman toga. It puzzled me a bit that no one seemed to see any changes. There were no gushings of “Wow, you look beautiful.” ”Hey, you look different. Did you change your hair?” No one asked why I was walking 18” above the ground.
That puzzled me. Could no one see? It’s not really me! It’s someone new, better, cleaner, freer! But, no, the changes were my joy alone. And my happy babbling about it brought hesitant smiles with slight frowns and nods. I wanted to shout at their quizzical faces. After all, the louder you are, the more the message is heard. Right? No, that is not right. And the force of your enthusiasm is not necessarily going to draw someone to what you want them to hear and accept.
Hard and disappointing lesson for me to learn in those first couple of days of knowing I was cleansed. For a while I struggled with ‘what now?’ I had to find a church where I lived and that took time to get the right fit, to know the message was biblical and not man made or ranting. Certainly, I did not know much, and did not have a base of friends who knew about being saved and reborn. It was a starting over period, and I do not like change, and am very shy so I work hard to walk into new arenas.
But thankfully with His guidance I fund churches, more friends found God so my prayer life and knowledge grew. I have so much to be thankful for each and every day. My list starts while still in bed with a smile and a “Thank You, God. This seems like another nice day. Thanks for the good rest, and thank You for being my life, in my life and You are my life. Help me to be better in all the areas I still mess up today. Fill me with the Holy Spirit so my spirit will know the path you want and how I can serve You today. Thank You for my blessings. I love You.”
Lord, You have guided me and blessed me with so much. And here I am, letting others know how much You have helped me and “mybellaviews.”
Hi, I'm Kathy. Welcome to my website!