Anxiety Archives - Kristi Woods

Are You Anxious for Nothing?

October 13, 2015 by Kristi 34 Comments

Are you anxious for nothing–or maybe a little something? Or, a big something? Here’s my story–one of a few–about a battle with anxious thoughts.

Be Anxious for Nothing

The index card’s backside was barely visible. The back reflected enough of the white, however, to create a three dimensional effect on the mammoth-sized mirror. The card appeared to be popping off the glass in springboard fashion, almost as if it was floating in air.

That crazy tape. It always does that.

I was too cheap, maybe thrifty, to buy double-sided tape. Single-sided tape, hand-rolled in backwards fashion, had to do. My hand smoothed across the card, pushing extra at each of the four the edges. Just to be sure.

There. That’s good enough.

My eyes caught the hand-written words quietly sitting on the light, blue lines. They awaited a reader. They awaited me.

Be anxious for nothing…

What the Bible Says about Anxiety

I let out a sigh. My eyes scanned the next line, index finger following each word.

…but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

I whispered the words to myself.

I’m not going to handle this one like the others.

There were only a few sunrises left. Moves were never easy. Ours was within reach. But I was determined not to handle this one as the string of moves before.

A ball of nerves and anxiety for the unknown both took part in day-to-day life during our conglomerate of military moves. Inevitably I’d lose my temper right along with the control the moves so hastily devoured. If ever I would dip into a down period, almost a depression, it was bound to happen during a move. I hated it.

Losing control was never easy.

After all, it was really about control.

The 3×5 card was my grip on sanity, a release for an anxious heart. It was a lifeline to God. My eyes devoured every curve and straight line on that card until I knew it well. The Scripture was written on my heart.

I needed His truth to see me through. Many of us do.

In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition 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 thoughts in Christ Jesus.
Phil. 4:6-7 WEB

We may have moves or other changes in life that come and go. Those changes have potential to uproot control, to stir our anxious heart.

But as we choose peace over anxiety, as we take our change, our troubles, our life to God in prayer, something changes. The heaviness lifts. Peace settles in like a welcomed overnight guest. We place our trust in God, not anxiety. It’s somewhat like reaching up and grabbing our Daddy’s hand, allowing Him to lead us down the path.

It might take diligence, consistency too. It might feel uncomfortable at first, but that’s okay. I had much anxiety to offer Him. Many were even repeats. He heard my pleas many times a day. He’ll hear yours too. He loves you.

Whenever thoughts go wild, when anxiety starts to stampede, try saying out loud, “Nope. I’m not going there.” Head to your “mirror”, with that Scripture card intact, and repeat Philippians 4:6-7. Offer those thoughts in prayer, in supplication, in thanksgiving.

And watch the peace of God guard you well. He’s faithful.

Be determined to be anxious for nothing, my friend. Our Daddy has you.

Come On Over…

…to #Lordtodayprayers on Facebook. We’re praying together most weekdays. You’re invited.

Need a speaker? I love to encourage folks in their walk with Jesus. You can find more about my speaking and get a little sneak peek here.

You’re invited! Linking hands in the blogosphere to lift up the name of Jesus with these beautiful gals: Intentionally Pursuing, Purposeful Faith, Testimony Tuesday, Jennifer Dukes Lee, Holley Gerth, Suzie Eller, Tracie Miles ( #stressless), Dance with Jesus, and Counting My Blessings.

How to Respond with Calm When Situations Swirl

September 22, 2015 by Kristi 29 Comments

Do you know how to respond with calm when situations swirl? Here’s my story and tips that might help all of us.

Remaining Calm

I heard the noise. What was supposed to be a mower attacking blades of grass had a distinctly different sound.

Ker-chunk!

Shortly after, the door opened and in walked our youngest son, Caleb. New to mowing, he was sprouting his summertime, blade-cutting wings.

“Ummm, Mom?” he sheepishly asked.

“Yes?” I answered.

“You might want to come look at this,” he responsed.

Realizing something was off the mower’s normal-beaten path, I listened as he explained how he hit the new guttering. The expensive project was installed only weeks before.

“Part of it flew off into the yard, Mom.”

I cringed.

Keep calm, Kristi. Remember, your words will cut or give life. It’s only guttering. He’s more important.

An elbow lay, beaten and slightly torn, ten feet from the point of impact. The screws were ripped clean out of the long downspout, but a quick pop and they were back in place…somewhat. The curved piece stood as tall as possible considering its roughed-up, trying-to-be-toughened-up condition from the mower’s unexpected attack. Regardless, the downspout elbow was salvaged.

Darling son continued to mow, and our relationship was good.

The Peace of God

That wasn’t always the case. I have a tongue that can cut through a little kid’s skin, straight to the depths of a tender heart. Adults too.

Maybe you understand? Have you ever had trouble with your words, winding up and tossing out the wrong ones, speaking and whizzing them at another with the speed of a fast pitch baseball? It’s easy to react, isn’t it?

It’s harder to walk through in peace, to stand tall in God’s calm. But that’s where righteousness reigns. (And the outcome is better, too!)

So how do we respond with calm, with Jesus at the helm of our peace, when situations whirl? Here are three areas to consider:

1. Remember

And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31 NLT

Remember “they” are our neighbor. They’re important.

Amid the guttering situation I found an internal cheerleader reminding me to treat Caleb the way I would want to be treated. Believe me, my flesh argued.

Whether it’s a child, spouse, friend, or foe, our “co-star” in the situation has been made by the same Creator that formed and fashioned us. Our Lord calls us to love them as ourself. Being bathed with anger, poked with sharp responses, or slathered with chilly silence doesn’t speak love. Remembering this before we respond is key.

Battle well, my friend. God has your back.

2. Falling Short

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23 NIV

Boy, I can certainly make a mess in life, falling short of the glory of God. Goodness knows I’ve had my share, and often a battle of the blow-up type led the way. Those pesky, short-tempered words…

We all hiccup, sin, and make poor choices from time to time, but then Jesus comes along with grace. Good ‘ol, life-saving grace, where would we be without it? Where would we be without Jesus?

Have mercy!

His grace is beautifully sufficient for us, amid our insufficiency. It is sufficient for “them” too. It’s much easier to freely give space and grace when we recall we’re all members of the “falling short/God of grace” club.

The bended knee of humility will take you far. He’s faithful.

3. The Choice

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15 NIV

It boils down to a choice. Yes, each “guttering” response offers opportunity, a choice to serve the Lord God Almighty. We may not like what’s been thrown at us, and it may not even be fair, but it’s there. The choice on how to proceed, with emotions or with faith, is yours. Whom will you serve?

Proceed well, my friend. God awaits, and it’s good.

Exciting News!

The winner, after the re-draw, of Danise Jurado’s Fulfilled: Learning to Live the Life God Promised, is Susan Mead. Yay for Susan!

Today is release day for Chicken Soup for the Soul: Dreams and Premonitions. It’s loaded with entertaining and encouraging stories. If you peek at page 333, you’ll see my story Tested, Not Arrested. (Can you tell I’m excited?! Thank You, Lord.) It’s available to buy here.

Would love to have you join me as we link here: Intentionally Pursuing, Purposeful Faith, Holly Barrett, Jennifer Dukes Lee, Holley Gerth, and Suzie Eller.

With Thanksgiving…

November 2, 2012 by Kristi Leave a Comment

Living with Thanksgiving

Do you live with thanksgiving? Sometimes I struggle. Offering thanks doesn’t come easy. I forget.

But being thankful is a vital part of our walk with the Lord. It’s that “remembering to remember” thing we talked about several weeks ago. Do you recall?

Thanksgiving in Phil. 4:6

Since you have such great memories, I’m sure you’ll recollect our chat in a previous post on Phil. 4:6. 🙂 You know the one….being anxious for nothing.

It’s a neat little scripture that I’ve written on a card and taped to our bathroom mirror. Not only does this verse direct us to not being anxious through prayer and petition, but it also mentions to submit our requests to God “with thanksgiving.” That’s where the faithfulness of God recently shined brighter than the noonday sun.

My Story about Giving Thanks

In the midst of our rental contract “opportunity,” the one I mentioned in a recent post in which the battle with anxiety was fierce but God won, that little ditty about offering thanksgiving came to life on the mirror one day. I found myself staring at it, pondering the opportunity, then realizing I simply needed to get real with God.

(I’m dancing a little jig in my mind right now because that was a pivotal moment, the second “getting real” surfaced, God was able to work and be magnified in the situation. It meant I was trusting Him in the face of anxiety, a huge step!)

Oh, I could have come up with a sort of vanilla list of thanksgiving, some items might have even have contained a hint of color. Certainly reciting such a list would have allowed me to check thanksgiving off the list, as if I were prepping my collar, clearing my throat, and arching my back in pride. However, spiritual wars are not won that way, not with our own vanilla lists.

They are won with God’s power.

What occurred in that moment of “getting real” was a cry to God, a cry asking Him to show me what to be thankful for. Being thankful seemed so distant in my fleshly weakness. Honestly, I couldn’t think of a single thing to be thankful for in that situation. However, He called me to be thankful in Phil. 4:6, I’d learned it by heart and it was now staring me in the face. God wanted me to trust Him at His Word. His desire was that I fight with thankfulness. Was I going to trust Him? Since I didn’t know what to be thankful for, the only way seemed to be to ask the Lord to show me what to be thankful for. That was my prayer, “Lord, show me what I should be thankful for in this situation, and I’ll offer it to you.”

Like flying colors, He answered that prayer. What an awesome God we serve! When I asked, He answered. (Surprise!) Within one or two days He had given me a list, a bonafide list of thanksgiving, one bursting with color. Line after line of thankfulness covered my prayers in that battle with anxiety.

With God all things are possible, and truly, through thanksgiving, that was the case.

That particular battle with anxiety is won, and our family, in just a couple of days, will be heading north. We’ll be moving back to North Carolina, to live in our house once again. I am thankful!