Facing Life's Challenges

Since life happens without any warning, I got into the habit, at a very young age, of breathing in shallow breaths. This is detrimental, because my body does not receive all of the oxygen it needs. My blood pressure went up, since I was hyperventilating all of the time. My mind kept my body in high alert. My soul does not react well to the uncertainty of life.

Inwardly, I felt fearful and insecure all the time. The environment in which I lived was unreliable and unpredictable. In my childhood, I grew up with emotional distance, unpredictable anger and physical aggression, which caused dread and instability. Throughout my life, I lived with repeated unsettling circumstances and unexpected changes.

For instance, I moved way too often in my early married life, and had to start over too many times. Eventually, my former husband decided he needed to move on without me, so I lived through divorce. I also experienced two car crashes in which I totaled both cars. The first accident left me with emotional turmoil and the second inflicted extensive physical trauma.

All of my life, I tried to control life to keep it manageable and safe. Of course, I failed miserably at this endeavor. We cannot harness life no matter how many safety valves we provide. I still do not like surprises and I have to remind myself to be more flexible, but I have learned some valuable life lessons.

Over my years as a Believer, I learned to keep my focus on God, to surrender everything to Him in prayer, to have faith in God’s faithfulness and to be more in tune to His Spirit (Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:6; 1 Corinthians 1:9; Romans 8:14). God taught me to cast my cares on Him, because He really does care about me.

Walking in the Spirit moment by moment keeps me prepared for the unexpected (1 Peter 5:7; Psalm 77:14; Romans 8:28; Galatians 5:15-21). God also taught me that He places a seed for a miracle within every trial. With each lesson I learned, I started breathing more deeply because the feeling of impending doom disappeared.

Prayer:

Father God, You have a perfect plan for our life (Ephesians 2:10). Remind us to seek Your direction for each task You planned for our day, and then to seek Your face for guidance on how to do what You instruct us to do. Consumed by Your Spirit, there is no room for negative emotions. As we face new situations in life, which cause us injury, unrest and indecision, we can wait on You and face the circumstance with Your courage from within us. You strengthen us from the inside out to meet every new challenge (Psalm 27:14).

Thought for the Day:

Trusting totally in God and surrendering to His will for my life gives me His joy and serenity, which trying to control life never did.

Comfortable in My Own Skin

Read: Matt 6:25-34



"So don't be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time.”- Matthew 6:27 

In my first few years as a Christian, worry was my constant companion. Bad things happen to good people, including myself, much too often.

I do not enjoy suffering for any reason and I do not like my friends and family to suffer either. I had a habit of taking shallow breaths, intently concentrating on the issue at hand, praying intensely for the situation and attempting through the sheer power of my self-will to prevent the issues I worried about from ever occurring. Of course, this never did any good!

One day I developed chest congestion for the millionth time, and the Lord pointed out to me that hyperventilating was causing my lungs to fill up with fluid. Worry was choking the life right out of my spirit, soul and body. I had to face the facts. There were more requests than gratitude in my prayers, pleading with God to change the circumstances in my life. I didn’t even like what I looked like, where I lived or the clothes I had to wear. I wasn’t comfortable in my own skin. I worried way too much. 

Then, I read Jesus’ solution to worry in Matthew 6:25-34. He teaches us that worry does not add a single moment to our life or a single inch to our stature. He admonishes us not to worry about our provision for food, housing or clothing. He points out that God effectually cares for the flowers that He created for temporary enjoyment, and He reminds us that we are far more important to Our Heavenly Father than all the lilies in the field and the birds of the air.

In bringing about my healing from worry, God went one step further. He also gave me my firstborn son, and the delights of motherhood gave me a vision and a purpose for my life. God also taught me to paint. He even allowed some of my paintings to sell. He built up my self-worth and showed me how much fun it is to be creative. God taught me to trust in Him, to obey Him and to do good to all men, especially to those of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10). He also promised me that I would dwell in safety (Psalm 4:8, 16:9; Proverbs 1:23).

God told me to be still and to trust that He is God (Psalm 46:10), to wait patiently for Him and not to fret, even when evil men carried out their wicked schemes against me and those I love (Psalm 37:7). He encouraged me to delight myself in Him and He would put His desires in my heart. He called me to commit my way to Him and to trust Him. Then, He would make my righteous deeds and the people I care about shine as a light to illuminate the way for others (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Our Heavenly Father already knows exactly what we need and when we need it. He promises that if we look after His business, then He will provide everything we need according to His glorious riches (Matthew 6:33). God gives us strength to walk through trials and He always works them out for our good (Romans 8:28). He protects us from our enemies (Psalm 138:7; Zechariah 9:15). He encourages us to give all our worries and cares to Him, because He really does completely care for us (1 Peter 5:7). Nothing can ever separate us from His love (Romans 8:35-39). With Christ dwelling in us we can be comfortable in our own skin (Colossians 1:27)!

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for helping me to stop fretting about life and to start casting my cares on You. You care for me now and always. I believe, dear Lord, but please, help my unbelief when my faith waivers. When the way looks dark, shine Your light on my path. When the storm clouds gather, continue to provide me with a safe haven. Help me to trust in You and to let my light to shine so that everyone will see my life and glorify You (Matthew 5:16).

Thought For the Day:

God loves us so much that He stretched out His arms and died for us, and He will never leave us nor forsake us.





Thank you, Susan Holsinger, for the use of your photo.