This is a request for all the Christian mothers out there. I want to make one of my New's Years resolutions to 'let go and let God' but I can't seem to do it. I'm such a worrier about everything under the sun. I keep telling myself to not worry and to let things go and rely on God like I know I should, but I just continue to worry. I've been this way for a long time and I'm so tired of it. I always have an anxious feeling. I always worry about pleasing everyone else. I do take time for myself, but I notice I'm not always enjoying it. Maybe I feel I don't deserve time for me? I've heard other mother's feel the same way so I know I"m not alone in my feelings. But I"m so tired of being this way. I'm tired of feeling stressed and overwhelmed all the time. I know I need to let God take over the things I can't handle, but how do I do it? How do I not revert back to my old ways of always worrying? Which is what seems to keep happening. I have anxiety and panic attacks and I'm so tired of it all.
Any words of wisdom?
Thanks much
A.
A.,
I don't have a long time to reply, but I wanted to share about Celebrate Recovery at the church I go to. We meet on Thursday nights, and it addresses this exact kind of issues with a biblical background. http://www.fbcnorth.org/Content/481.htm
I'd love to answer more questions if you have some. I can send you my testimony if you are interested.
Praise & Worship & don't be so hard on yourself. Casting your care takes a lot of practice & only when you focus on Jesus do you stop focusing on all the other junk. Ask God for a fresh revelation on His love for you, that's where it al begins. Joyce Meyer has some good resources but even better: go to www.awmi.net & click on the free audio teachings link for awesome, powerful teachings.
First bit of advise that you already know is pray, pray, pray. Pray really hard before you try to please others. Ask God about what to do when you have me time. I'm reading through the Bible this year and really looking at scripture and letting it flow through me. I feel this is doing something for me. Find something you really enjoy. Like for me working out, playing on the computer, etc., etc. You will eventually find something you like doing for yourself.
Everytime you feel overwhelmed and stressed take a breather and pray about it. The same thing with the anxiety and panic attacks.
It takes approximately 90 days to make a habit. Give youself time to learn how to "let go and let God".
I agree with the other responses: pray, praise, present (to God), produce (new thoughts/actions) (I know, it's corny, but the p pattern presented itself!)... Anyway, on another practical level, www.flylady.net has been a great help to me in conquering that overwhelming feeling, as well as my perfectionism (they go hand-in-hand for most of us). It's a free site, and she sends a lot of emails if you sign up (about 10 per day) BUT if you don't feel like reading them you can always hit the delete button (if only physical and mental clutter were so easy to get rid of!)
God Bless!
S.
I can be the type to worry a lot myself. Sometimes I keep myself busy with other things just to avoid thinking about it. You have to really pay attention to your thought processes. If it is something you can do something about, make a plan, if not, you need to "let it go." One thing concrete you could do is to make a box for your worries. Write them down as they come and pray over it, then drop it in the box. Mentally make this your God box and you have given it over to Him. When you find yourself thinking about it again, do your best not to let your mind continue to dwell on it. Remind yourself that you already put that one in your God box and He has it now. Read something or do something. Once a week, you can open up your box and see your worries. Many of them, over time, you will see that worry was for nothing and you can toss them out of your box. The others that remain, pray again and put it back.
Also, if there is something continual that you worry about, I would recommend finding a verse that helps battle that thought and say it to yourself whenever that worry creeps up. For worry itself, you can turn to Matthew 6:19-34. Pick a portion of the verse to memorize immediately and repeat it to yourself whenever you're worried. Such as Matthew 6: 26-27 "26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"
For that matter, before you put any of your worries in your box, you can find a verse that helps with that particular worry and write the verse down. Make a list of your own memory verses that pertain to your fears/worries and put it on your fridge. BibleGateway.com has some verses for typical issues. Just type in a keyword in the search bar and some verses will come up.
Hope that helps. I also like music and have a bunch of Christian songs on my ipod. I really feel a lot better when I've sung along in praise songs. I really listen to the words and take them to heart.
Praying for you!
M.
A.-
Letting go is so simple that we make it difficult.
Worry and anxiety stem from fear. Take a look at what you worry about; most of it (if you're like the rest of us) are "what-if's". And if you look at all the what-if's you focus on, the VAST majority of them never happen. We spend hours running down false scenarios of what we will do just in case one of these what-if's happen. And it is almost like an addiction; your brain just runs down these paths and carries you along, and before you know it you're stressed out, overhwhelmed and a mess.
I was a pro at all this what-if-ing. And I'm now becoming a pro at 'allowing'. The thought process behind it is this: I am truly in control of very few things. That in itself can be a scary thought, but should not be, because in your faith, you know that you are not alone, ever. Even though it appears that you are deciding and determining everything, if you look over your life, you will surely see patterns of 'coincidences' (if this hadn't happened, I wouldn't have done this, and wouldn't have learned/gotten/experienced this, etc.). I find that usually, when something that feels horrible happens, there is a purpose and something good that comes from it. Even if the good is as simple as me learning something to make me a better person.
When you find yourself falling in the what-if's, say to yourself, Stop! Then look at what you're thinking about. If it's a what-if, send that to God with thanks that you are able to recognize what is false. Once you do that with all the what-if's, you may boil them down to one or two genuine conflicts. Take a look on a practical level to see what it is you can do to resolve them. If you see nothing immediate, pray to God; tell him what you perceive the problem to be, and ask for him to send you the tools to handle it and to light the path you should tread. Then, release it. It takes practice. But the more you 'allow' the more miracles will show up in your life daily. The more miracles you allow, the more that come. It is an amazing thing.
Another helpful tip for when you're in the middle of panic is to stop and look at the present moment. What is happening RIGHT NOW that is causing you pain? 99.9% of the time, the pain is caused by lingering in the past, or worrying about what has not yet happened. There is nothing you or anyone else can do to change the past, and the future is in the hands of God; all you have to do is manage the present moment. Ask yourself, What's wrong with right now?, and you will find that nothing is wrong with the present moment; all is in perfect order, you have all that you need. And then recall that our life is nothing more than a series of Now; each moment comes and passes. Do you want to spend your life in the past, where nothing can change, or in the future which never arrives, or in the present moment, where you and God have the power to handle anything?
I hope this is helpful for you...
Ali
