Tag Archives: worry

April 23, 2013 · 8:00 AM

The Unforced Rhythms of Grace

I heard a scripture a couple of weeks ago and I’m still chewing on it. I’m going over it in my mind over and over. I’m still not sure everything that it means, so I’ll keep chewing on it, breaking it down, thinking it through and pondering how it applies to my life. This simple phrase from matthew 11:28-30 keeps rolling around in my mind. Jesus said, “Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.”

Jesus says it after asking some good questions. He asked, “Are you tired? Worn out?” Then He offers for us to go to Him, get away with Him and to recover our life. He will show us how to take a real rest by walking with Him and working with Him. He says, “Watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.” It reminds me of a father teaching His child how to do something.

Watch me. Learn from me. I’ll show you how to do it. Do what I do. That’s a father’s heart. He wants to show us the rhythm of life. Real life, not this life we’re living that is inundated with emails, phone calls and traffic. Life that is unforced and natural. A spiritual life that loves others, does what is right and follows in His steps. He promised right after that, “I won’t lay anything heavy or Ill-fitting on you.” He’s not a burdensome God. His desire is simp,y to spend time with us.

The longer that I’m a father, the more I realize His love for us and His desire to just spend time with us. Our lives are to bring Him joy. We were designed to walk with Him and to spend time with Him. We weren’t meant to carry heavy burdens. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. In I Peter 5:7 It says, “Give ALL your worries and cares to God, for He cares for you.”

I think giving them over to Him is the first step to learning those unforced rhythms of grace. We can’t move well when we are bogged down with things that we can’t do anything about. Release them to Him and find rest. I know it’s easier said than done. It takes a shift in your thinking. Once you come to the realization that worrying about your problems won’t solve it, you have the ability to release it to God and find rest. The Amplified version describes that rest as “relief, ease, refreshment, recreation and blessed quiet.”

Maybe that’s where you are today. You need to learn those rhythms of grace, but you have to let go of the burdens of the past first. You can’t let the worry of the unknown interfere with those rhythms either. Your life is precious and our Father wants you to learn His ways and to find rest in Him. He wants to refresh your soul today if you’ll just let Him. Don’t hold onto the things that keep you from walking forward with Him.

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January 11, 2013 · 8:18 AM

From Defeat to Victory

I used to worry a lot. There were things going on in my life that I couldn’t control. Things were happening faster than I could react to them. That worry lead to stress. That stress then lead to high blood pressure. My doctor put me on blood pressure meds, but they didn’t work. I’m thinking she probably should have put me on anxiety meds. I’m glad she didn’t because medicine wasn’t the answer I needed. My answer came through a friend who wasn’t scared to say something.

She asked me some questions that got me to thinking. She asked, “Are the things that are happening to you a surprise to God? Is God worried about them? Or is He still on His throne and in control?” Well I knew the answers to those questions, but didn’t want to say it. They did make me think about how I was looking at things. I had gotten so caught up in the problems and things popping up in my life that I allowed God to be taken out of the equation.

I don’t think I’m alone in this. I think many of us get caught up in our daily life and the problems that catch us unaware. We allow them to consume us to the point that it dominates how and what we think. When that happens to us, it’s easy to make our problems bigger than the God we serve. It doesn’t happen over night either. It comes from a constant bombardment of things that attack us. It’s a war technique that is happening to you.

Think back to Desert Storm. Our initial operations there had a code name of “Shock and Awe”. Most war plans, game plans and plans of attack begin with some type of shock and awe. They do it because if you aren’t expecting it, it will throw you off course, force you to make poor decisions and it gives the attacker the upper hand. It is designed to break your will and to keep you from fighting back. Submission is its goal.

I had submitted to the things that were coming at me faster than I could handle. I left the fundamentals that I had been taught. Once I did that, I began to be defeated. Defeat is the ultimate goal of our attacker. Once we are defeated, we are no longer a threat. Defeat breeds worry and depression which are cyclical and keep you from fighting. They take our mind out of the war that is going on and eventually remove the thought that God still cares and is our path to victory.

My friends questions caused me to put God back in the equation. When God is added in to the battles in your life, victories are multiplied. God cares deeply about where you are. He is not unaware of the things that are plaguing your mind right now. He is silently waiting for you to remember Him and to get back to the fundamentals which are praying and reading His Word. Romans 10:17 says that faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of God. If you need a faith boost this morning, get into God’s Word. Read it out loud. Speak the promises of God and reclaim your mind. Victory is at stake.

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August 30, 2012 · 11:36 AM

It’s Time to Reprioritize

This is a very busy time of year for most of us. School has just started back, labor day is approaching, the companies we work for are gearing up for fourth quarter and we are still trying to balance family, relationships and all of our extra curricular activities. Even with all the advancements in technology, life can still be complicated and difficult. Finding a moment of peace where we can just breathe seems impossible, but that’s what we need. We need to stop for a moment and take a breath.

While everything we’re involved in seems necessary, not everything is. I know we want to be involved in this or have our kids participate in that, but at what cost? You are driving around town, burning the candle at both ends, sacrificing too much just to feel stressed out. That is not the way to live. When did we start putting more emphasis on doing things than our own peace and health? We justify it by saying, “I’m doing it for the kids or if they can do all of that, so can I.” Quit comparing yourself to others. You aren’t them.

If this sounds like you, slow down. Determine what in your life is a priority. Cut out the things that aren’t priorities and focus on the things that are. You will find that your quality of life improves. When that happens, your relationships and everything else will get better. I heard someone say that you really can’t multitask. You can do a lot of things poorly or one thing really well. Focus on what you want to do well.

It’s also important to learn to use the word “no”. You can’t do everything you’re asked to. It’s ok to say no. Life will go on. Someone else will be able to do what you couldn’t. It doesn’t mean that what you say no to is not important or that you don’t care about it. It simply means that your plate is full and that if you take it on, something else will suffer. Jesus said that if we were faithful in the little things, He would make us faithful over many things. Learn to be faithful and good at managing what’s on your plate before accepting more. If you don’t, everything you do will suffer.

You also need to find time to relax. By the time you leave work, get the kids to their activities, get everyone fed, get home, washed up and to bed you realize you still have more to do and you haven’t even stopped yet. You can’t live like that for long periods of time without being stressed out and sacrificing the important things in life. It’s ok to slow down and to relax from time to time. You need it.

When we get too busy, we get stressed. When we get stressed, we begin to worry. God did not intend for you to endure long periods of stress or worry. When Jesus was visiting the home of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:40-42, Mary sat at His feet and listened to Him. Martha was busy making dinner, straightening the house and doing so many things. She even told Jesus to tell Mary to help her. Jesus looked at her and said, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her (NLT).”

If your life has gotten so out of control and busy that you have forgotten the one thing you should be concerned with, then it’s time to reprioritize. Your main focus in life is to follow Jesus. Everything else are just details that distract us from that one thing. Stop today and take an honest look at your life. Have you forgotten to sit at the feet of Jesus? Are you too busy or tired to give Him your time? Are you giving Him what’s left over? If so, it’s time to make a change. When you get your priorities in life, everything else falls in to place. Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need (NLT).”

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