Winning Over Worry

I am so glad that I have eternal life because God has given me peace over worry, fear, and anxiety.

Before I had kids I was pretty laid back and just took life as it came. After having three children, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the responsibility I had been given to care for and raise these little people. I was constantly fearful that something would happen to them or something that I said or did would scar them for life. I was also overwhelmed with the physical demands of taking care of kids. Sleep deprivation and fear of failure caused me to worry incessantly, which eventually turned into panic attacks and I was just plain overwhelmed with life. I realized that through all of this time of fear, worry and stress that I had kind of pushed God out of the equation. I felt like I was too busy to do my devotions and my prayer life was spotty at best. So I decided something needed to change because whatever I was doing was obviously not working. I began attending a Bible study at Church even though I was convinced I did not have time to add anything else to my schedule. It was a great study on the busyness of life. One of the things that caught my attention was to put God first in each day and the rest of your day will fall into place rather than trying to fit God in where it is convenient. This was not something I had ever really done consistently, so I decided to give it a try. I began doing my devotions in the morning even when my house was a mess and I also started praying throughout the day rather than just at night when I would usually fall asleep mid prayer from exhaustion. These purposeful times with God literally started to change my life. I began taking my problems to The Lord rather than worrying about them all day. Some days that worry would try to creep back in, but I just had to keep handing it over to The Lord. Over time, I felt like a huge burden had been lifted from shoulders. My panic attacks started to go away. I started to feel more joyful throughout my day as well. I just felt this overall peace that God is in control. I know that He has a plan for me and my family and life is a lot more enjoyable when I trust in Him. I had spent so many years focused on my problems instead of on God that I missed out on so much. I am so grateful that I have a Savior who can carry my through the burdens of life and by trusting in Him completely I can experience joy and peace along the journey.

I know without a doubt that God is always with me. He has given me a joy and peace that could only come from a loving Savior. I am excited that someday I will spend eternity in Heaven with Him.