I am pretty good at worrying. I've decided it stems in part from my North Dakota heritage. The climate is so ridiculously harsh up there, and I can just imagine my great-great-grandma out on the farmstead wondering...When will it rain? or Will this gully-washer ever stop? or How much hail damage did our crops endure? or Do I have enough food preserved for winter? or Will the cattle survive this blizzard? Questions like that tend to spiral don't they?
I had questions of my own this week. Like...When will they stop this oil spill? How extensive is the environmental damage? I wonder if this will affect our family vacation? What will gas prices be in July? Should we even take a vacation this year? I wonder if my children be able to enjoy vacations with their families? Will there be jobs for them when they graduate?...ENOUGH ALREADY!
All those questions are like quicksand to my soul. I find myself stuck in the muck and mire of fear. And it's suffocating me.
But in the middle of my worrisome wonderings, I read this verse in John 20:19... On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews...They had just endured the crucifixion of their Rabbi and now they were hiding behind locked doors in fear. I imagine they had their own spiraling questions. Like...Who are the Jews going to kill next? How will we die? Will we be kicked out of the synagogue? What if we are ostracized from the community? I love what happens next, it says...Jesus came and stood among them. Don't you love that locked doors and fearful questions are not a barrier to God's presence? Jesus found them in their hiding place and he said these three words: PEACE TO YOU!
And he said it to me: Peace to you, Lynn. Peace to your questions. Peace to your heart. Peace to your mind.
Are questions, fear-filled wonderings, and "what ifs" keeping you locked up?
I pray that Jesus shows up for you like he did for his followers, like he did for me; finds you in your hiding place and says PEACE to you. Then watch what happens....
And when the disciples saw the Lord,
All those questions are like quicksand to my soul. I find myself stuck in the muck and mire of fear. And it's suffocating me.
But in the middle of my worrisome wonderings, I read this verse in John 20:19... On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews...They had just endured the crucifixion of their Rabbi and now they were hiding behind locked doors in fear. I imagine they had their own spiraling questions. Like...Who are the Jews going to kill next? How will we die? Will we be kicked out of the synagogue? What if we are ostracized from the community? I love what happens next, it says...Jesus came and stood among them. Don't you love that locked doors and fearful questions are not a barrier to God's presence? Jesus found them in their hiding place and he said these three words: PEACE TO YOU!
And he said it to me: Peace to you, Lynn. Peace to your questions. Peace to your heart. Peace to your mind.
Are questions, fear-filled wonderings, and "what ifs" keeping you locked up?
I pray that Jesus shows up for you like he did for his followers, like he did for me; finds you in your hiding place and says PEACE to you. Then watch what happens....
And when the disciples saw the Lord,
they were filled with joy (delight, exultation, ecstasy, rapture) John 20:20 AMP
1 comment:
Lynn, you are good at worrying, I'll give you that, but you know where to go when that happens. So many just continue the spiral and live a life paralyzed with fear. Thank you for finding your strength, encouragement and hope in our beautiful Savior. And then, sharing your vulnerability with the entire world. I love you so much!
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