Grace and A Piece

It's almost time to go home. I'll have to admit. I've been pretty industrious today. There's not a whole lot of messing-around time this week. I'll be pretty tightly wound.

Are you reading, babe? Take cover. I'll be home in 30 minutes.

School programs always get me into my worst anxious craze. MY JOB PERFORMANCE hangs on the balance and the shoulders of 9 year olds who have come up to me the week before the program to ask - "What's my part? I lost my lines. Did I order a tshirt? Do I get to wear a costume? I don't want to do this anymore." Neither do I, kids. Neither do I.

This is the quintessential definition of anxiety.

Now, if someone would just define quintessential for me.

It really makes a believer pump some serious faith iron to "Be anxious for nothing." This is one of my husband's favorite verses. Mine too, but it's a little harder for me to put into practice. Not because I don't want to be obedient to scripture. I just feel the tug of my emotions so strongly.

It reminds me of a bad game of tug of war I was a part of back in my days at Camp o' the Rising Son. We were playing counselors against assistant counselors. I was going to make myself the anchor, so I picked up the end of the rope and wrapped it around my waist. Only, I wasn't really the anchor. Three or so more counselors came up behind me. When the whistle blew, I got squeezed around the abdomen as the ac's pulled in one direction, and the c's behind me pulled in the other. I spun in the rope and cut a flip and landed face down on the beach. The c's in front of me tripped over me as they backed up, and we lost the match.

Can you relate to that? Have you found yourself wrapped up in the middle of an emotional tug of war only to have your guts squeezed out of you?

Vigilance makes a huge difference. The other part of that verse on anxiety says to take each matter to God in prayer. Bring it before Him. Have all the details out there for Him. For me in that game, it would have meant noticing before the game that I was in a bad position. Sometimes, prayer reveals situations that we can remove ourselves from in order to decrease our anxiety levels. For me, that happens a LOT of the time.

The verse also says to have a spirit of thanksgiving as you bring the matter in prayer. I had help in that game that I was unaware of. Had I leaned into the support that I had in the other counselors, we could have easily taken the game. I should have been thankful for them, not thinking that I would be the savior of the match with my great skills.

"And the peace of God that transcends all understanding will guard your heart and mind." Ah, peace. Or in the case of the tug of war game, the PIECE of watermelon that went to all the winners.....and I loves me some watermelon.

Peace to guard the mind....That will pretty much cure any anxiety problem there is. That and some watermelon.

God bless.