Candidly Christian

Real Women. Real Life. Real Faith.

Anxiety

3 Key Questions You Need To Ask When Anxiety Strikes

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I struggle with anxiety.

Sometimes it’s taken hold of my life and run things. Blatantly run things. I’ve had relationships that were damaged because of my anxiety. Being anxious about things meant that I was hyper-sensitive to their comments, and overreacted to their interactions with me, causing me to become belligerent… all because I was anxious about the relationship itself or the circumstances surrounding both of us at the time.

Let me rephrase that… the problem wasn’t that I felt anxiety. The problem was that I typically gave in to anxiety. I dwelt in it.

I cannot say that I never feel anxiety now. I can only say that I’ve learned a few things about how to break the cycle of dwelling in that anxiety.

[Read more…] about 3 Key Questions You Need To Ask When Anxiety Strikes

Growing My Trust in God When Life Was Beyond My Control

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I remember driving through the mountains with my husband in the middle of a blizzard. Okay, it wasn’t really a blizzard, and I wasn’t really driving, but it sure seemed like a blizzard from where I sat in the passenger seat. It was snowing hard and the wind was blowing it across the mountain road. We couldn’t see more than a foot or two in front of us.

I’d love to tell you that trust for my husband’s driving abilities got me through that experience. Because I do trust him… but I was way past that. Even the world’s best driver couldn’t see where the mountain met the road until it was too late.

As our kids slept in the back seat, I silently cried out to Jesus.

As her kids slept in the back seat, she silently cried out to Jesus. Click To Tweet

Leaning On God’s Promises

I prayed the entire way through the whiteout condition. And then I praised Jesus the rest of the way down the mountain. On the way up we had talked about how beautiful the snow was, but also how massive the snow banks were. We never considered we might be driving through one of the dangerous snow storms that must have deposited them there.

Taped to the dash of our van, I had Joshua 1:9 written in sloppy handwriting on a faded green note card.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (ESV)

I kept reading that over and over again and praying for strength and courage that I might trust in Jesus to get us down that mountain. That I wouldn’t be frightened, but trust in Him. I tried to recall Job 37, one of my favorite passages about how God controls the weather. I knew He was the one that says to the snow, “Fall on the Earth” (vs 6) and He was in control of the wind (vs 9).

Knowing God is in control always brings me comfort. To know that I can trust in Him. That nothing happens outside of His will.

Growing My Trust In God

While I don’t think of that night often, those verses continue to keep me focused on Jesus when weather or driving conditions spiral out of my control. My husband has a 45-minute commute every morning on a road that is littered with wildlife. I am constantly praying for his safety, while trusting in Jesus to be in control.

I am a pessimist by nature; always assuming the worst. Remembering that God is in control helps me to trust Him regardless of what comes.

When my husband had neck surgery a few years back, I was terrified. They had to go in through the front of his neck, move everything in his throat aside, and replace a vertebra in the back. That just sounded scary to me. Too many things could go wrong, and any of them could be fatal.

If life was always easy, how would we learn to trust in God?

Looking back, that was my first experience with anxiety. I have always had social anxiety, but that’s the time that triggered my anxiety disorder. Even though I cried out to Jesus to be strong and courageous no matter what came, I developed a nervous twitch in my eye, nausea, and sleepless nights. But both my husband’s surgery and that night on the mountain helped grow my faith in Jesus.

If life was always easy, I never would have learned to trust God.

If life was always easy, how would we ever learn to trust in God? Click To Tweet

The Trials of Life

James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

I still struggle with anxiety, and life is still far from perfect, but through it all I have a semblance of peace. When I slow down to think things through, I know without a shadow of a doubt that I can trust God. That He is in control. I don’t know what you are facing today, but I pray that you can find peace in that as well.

Has God ever used a circumstance beyond your control to help you trust in Him?

We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

3 Ways to Look for a Different Perspective in the Midst of Difficulty

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Last year, for me, feels marked by a medical timeline. There was the jumping through hoops to get insurance pre-authorization, the planning and making reservations to be out of town for a length of time, and the monitoring of the medical bills—what insurance would and would not cover.

Throughout the months, I reminded myself to trust God every step of the way, and watched as He worked out the timing and details. But, when the final bills came in the mail, I felt myself start to panic. The amount we were responsible for was higher than what I had anticipated.

I had already set up a payment plan and I knew it would all work out, but seeing that final dollar amount caused my stomach to tense and my heart to pound.

What my head told me—that everything would be alright—was betrayed by the panic mode my body went into on its own.

Her head told her everything would be alright, but that was betrayed by the panic mode her body went into on its own… Click To Tweet

Have you ever been there?

As I sat at the kitchen table with bills and insurance paperwork spread out in front of me, I decided I had to look at it differently. I knew the total we would have to pay, but I wanted to know what our insurance company had already paid.

The two totals were not even close. In that instant, the panic I felt subsided, and all I could do was thank God for His provision.

The same dollar amount that looked so high now appeared to be so low—all because of a different perspective.

Sometimes, a different point of view makes all the difference in our attitudes, our outlook, and our response to God.

From a different view, I could better see how God was taking care of us. Instead of anxiety and worry, I felt peace.

3 Ways to look for a different perspective in the midst of it all

When we’re in the middle of a situation, it’s hard to see past what’s right in front of us. We may know God is at work, but it’s so much easier when we can actually see what He’s working on.

I knew God had been taking care of us financially, but when I was only focused on one dollar-amount, everything else became blurred. It wasn’t until I looked at the other total—the total we didn’t have to pay—that I could see His work more clearly.

Often, in the midst of our circumstances, we have to make an intentional effort to find a different perspective.

3 Ways to Look for a Different Perspective In The Midst of It All

1. Ask God

When we’re too close to what surrounds us, it’s difficult to see it from any other way. But God sees every detail from every angle. Ask Him to help you see the situation the way He sees it. Ask Him to show you what you need to focus on in that moment. And then in the next hour. And then in the next day. When we are unable to prioritize what needs our attention, God can. He knows what’s coming next and where we need to be looking.

2. Look for How God is Working

When we’re in the midst of something, it can feel as if God isn’t actively working. Our view becomes limited to what we can see, and we forget to look for what’s not as obvious. Sometimes we have to quiet ourselves to hear from Him and realize that no matter what we are dealing with, there is so much we don’t have to deal with. What is God keeping off of your shoulders during your current circumstances? Look for how He’s been at work and the blessings you’ve received despite your current day-to-day difficulties.

3. Remember How He’s Worked in the Past

Sometimes it’s too soon to see the opposite side like I did with the bills and insurance payments. As we ask God to show us a different way of looking at a situation, remember how He’s worked in the past. Is there a time when you couldn’t see where you were going, but had to trust Him along the way? Review that situation from start to finish, focusing on how God walked you through it. Our God is not a one-time God. Whatever you are facing, He will see you through it. Draw strength from how you’ve seen Him work in the past, and let it help you keep moving forward.

Every day, God is at work in ways we can’t possibly know about or understand, taking care of multiple details so we don’t have to. When it’s not easy to see, it helps to take a step back and intentionally look for Him, even in the smallest way.

Life happens, check out these three ways to look for a different perspective in the midst of it all… Click To Tweet

What’s been your experience? Has there been a time when a different perspective brought you peace, instead of worry and anxiety?