THREE BIRDS: {Truth} Thursdays

{Conrad's reflection as he takes a bath a few months back}

Anxiety is the topic on my heart today as we venture into a new season of our lives: newish baby, new job, the holidays, car about to take it's last breath, bills bills bills, bill collectors calling, fighting the insurance company that went bankrupt right before I delivered etc.

Sound familiar?

Have you ever been so paralyzed by fear, by the unknown,

by the future that you can't even get out of bed? (me, yes)

Have you been devoured by anxiety and fear? (me again, yes)

40 million people are diagnosed with mental illness due to anxiety.

That's a crazy amount of people.

Reflecting on what master I serve lately. How much I truly trust God to take care of me in all areas of my life. Am I casting my concerns, my anxieties, my worries, my dreams, my future on Jesus, allowing him to sort it out- Or am I suffocating under my circumstances, trying as hard as I can to control my world around me-head barely above water?!

I'm feeling super convicted about how I've been praying lately, or rather, the current state of my relationship with God. I've been treating Him like Santa asking for this and that, rather than treating him with reverence as the King of the universe, going to Him to sit in his presence and know who He is. He's not my personal genie. I've been living in a sort of "survival mode" the last few months (please don't let anything go wrong, please do this, please don't let______ happen. Fill in the blank with any major catastrophe you can think of....) Dustin has brought to my attention that he too has been living in defensive, rather than living in God's freedom. Holding his breath, walking on egg shells in life hoping the world doesn't come crashing down over him-not living in full confidence that God promises us that in Him, we can live life abundantly. We lack faith, and lack belief, and lack trust, so we miss out on that freedom. We want control, we want to do it ourselves, our pride is too big, so we miss out.

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Especially after hearing the message below. "We don't come before the father to know Him and be loved by Him, we come to rehearse our anxieties and by the time we're done, we're more anxious than when we started....Does stressing out over your finances, over your child, over your job or peoples opinions of you, does that help you at all? Can you add any time to your life being anxious about it?"

I was blessed last night while I worked on the

computer to hear this message about anxiety.

Philippians 4:6
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer

and supplication with thanksgiving

let your requests be made known to God.

Matthew 6:25
Do Not Be Anxious
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life,

what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body,

what you will put on. Is not life more than food,

and the body more than clothing?

Luke 12:7

Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered.

Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.