anxiety

Christ Our Life

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments 
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 
Colossians 3:2-4 ESV

It was so early that the sun was not even thinking of rising and I was snuggling deep under warm covers when I felt a little hand on my shoulder. As I pried open one eye, I saw the smiling face of our 5-year-old son Ben. “Can we get up Dad?” He asked. “It’s already 6 o’clock and it’s Christmas!” Hearing the eagerness and joy in his voice, any thoughts of being annoyed evaporated. Ben just couldn’t sleep even one more minute, because he was thinking of all the fun of opening presents. That is one of my sweetest memories, but every morning as we wake up, a far less endearing list of questions gets thrown at us. “What will we do first? What will we eat? What will we wear?” Now it’s normal for a five-year-old to be anxious on Christmas, but if we allow anxious thoughts to drag us out of bed every morning, they will change our choices, manipulate our moods, and govern the words that come out of our mouths. They are hoping to hurry us on, without stopping to pray. Their plan is for us to open packages of impatience, selfish thoughts, and nasty words. But today’s verse has wonderful news for those of us who are Christians. It reminds us that we have the ability to say, “No!” to those dastardly door knockers, and “Yes” to the Christ, who is already living inside of us. We may not be able to see Jesus, but by faith we can turn to Him. He is far more than just a part of our day’s agenda. He loved us and died so we could freely receive eternal life. Since Jesus is our life, let’s get up and open the gifts that He has waiting for us today!

Worry About Everything!

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments 
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 ESV

While, knowing about and even praying the words of this verse over the years, my actual practice has sometimes been the exact opposite. Though on the outside, I was able to pretend I was not worried, instead my life operated more as if the Bible said:

“Worry about everything, don’t pray about your problems or be grateful to God for the things that have gone right. Instead waste all your time complaining, when you don’t understand what is going on.”

Years ago, our car broke down on the highway outside of Boston on a Friday afternoon. Before cell phones, our only hope was for a police officer to stop and call for help. I had no idea what was wrong with our car, so I paced up and down as traffic whizzed by, complaining loudly to my wife. Patiently Nancy kept calmly saying, “God is going to work this out.” I wanted to believe it, but it felt like I had a pot boiling on the inside. Finally, a patrol car stopped and called for a tow truck which came and hooked up to our car. The muffler on that truck sounded like a jet taking off and our driver cursed loudly and often at the other drivers as he weaved through traffic. Fifteen minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot of a large repair facility and my wife suddenly smiled and said, “Look! We’ve definitely come to the right place!”

“What do you mean?” I asked as our car was being unhooked.

“See the sign!” Nancy said pointing. That was when I looked up and saw that just underneath the name of the garage were the words, “Smile God loves you!”

Our car was repaired in under two hours, the owner even bought us dinner and we arrived at our destination, just a little later than we had expected. All that was great, but even better was how God showed me His peace in ways I could never understand. Now when I find myself broken down on the side of the road, God reminds me of that time and how He will still guard my heart and mind, even while I am getting towed through traffic!

Photo by Sami Aksu on Pexels.com

Fear Not- Quiet Sunday Thoughts

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

The angel said to the women,”Don’t be afraid, for I know you were looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here. He is risen, just as He said! Come and see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples!”Matthew 28:5-7a NIV

Fear is one of those things everyone has battled ever since Adam and Eve took the first bite of the forbidden fruit. As a friend who had done work building 600 foot steel towers once told me, “The man who says he isn’t afraid is a liar!” We are all afraid, at different times and in different places. But whatever we are fearful of this morning, we are advised to look and see, He is not here. In the place where He is, fear is forever vanquished. He is alive and is calling us to come and see for ourselves, and then go and tell others He has risen. “We don’t need to be afraid anymore!”