Are you someone who is constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop? Do you find it's easier to expect the worst than the best? Do you find yourself fearful that God won't really come through for you?
As women, our fears range from living out our lives alone, to not being able to have children, to losing our jobs or homes or someone close to us. Often, our fears are rooted in a misunderstanding of who God really is. Depending on your upbringing, you may see God as the One who seeks to pay you back for mistakes you've made in the past. Or, maybe you see Him as One who will think good and hard before coming to your aid when you find you are in need. But God isn't an angry god with a vengeance to get back at you. He's the God who loves you and wants your love and trust in return.
Hebrews 11:6 says: "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (NIV, emphasis added).
God wants your faith -- not your fear -- that He really can come through for you. But in order to have faith in Him, you must know who He is and be convinced He's trustworthy. So let me give you two steps that will help you get to know -- and love -- this God you no longer need to fear.
Surviving Stress
There are a few situations in my life right now that could really stress me out. My husband is waiting to hear about three different job opportunities, and to be honest, he needs at least two of the three!
Now, I can pull out my hair, and lose sleep at night, and keep calculating what we'll do if he doesn't get any of those jobs. Or, I can realize it is ludicrous for me to worry that God isn't aware, or doesn't care, or won't provide for us in time.
I choose to not be ludicrous. So I thought of five good reasons not to worry about that or anything we tend to worry about. Those five good reasons come down to five things you and I will never hear God say as we hand Him our worries and concerns.
So here they are. You never have to fear any of these responses when you trust God with what is on your heart:
Got stress? It seems to be our constant companion in this life. In fact, stress is trying to be a companion of mine as I write my next book, Drama Free. So, I asked my friend Sally Nance -- who writes a wonderful blog called The Healthy Happy Woman -- to share some practical ways that you and I can stress less. I'm already trying a few of these as I struggle with deadline pressure and they are really helping. So, as I get back to my book-writing deadline, here are some words from Sally that just might change YOUR life, too:
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