Reason #676
I scheduled to have some family pictures taken today. Aaron and I have had more than enough pictures taken of us over the past year, so I really just wanted some pictures with Scout. She is our baby, as of right now, so I felt we needed some quality pictures with her. And so, we all got up early this morning, got ready, and headed out for some family photos.
I came home to take a nap afterwards, and I woke up filled with anxiety that has yet to leave me. After sleeping for two hours, I suppose my brain had a little time to itself and I woke up with all sorts of thoughts racing through my head. I wondered how I looked in the pictures. How was I standing? Were my smiles awkward? Was my hair falling in the right place? How did we look as a group? And then, if that wasn't enough to drive me crazy, I started to think about a hundred different poses I wish I would have suggested. I have stressed and worried all afternoon long because I have no clue how these pictures will look when I see them and I can't do anything about that now. All I know is what I looked like this morning, and the camera will tell the rest.
This is pretty reflective of life, isn't it? We have plans, expectations, and ideas of how we want things to go, yet we really never know what's going to happen until all is said and done. We prepare as much as we can for the desired outcome but that doesn't always mean it plays out that way. And truthfully, most of the time life ends up being a surprise. We only have so much control, and we often come to find out that it is actually really limited. And so all we can do is show up where we are supposed to be, be as ready as we can be, and just let things happen the way they are going to happen.
The one thing I've come to notice, as I have spent my fair share of days stressing over how things might turn out, is that we usually end up worrying over nothing. Not always, but usually. And when the occasion arises that nothing is actually something, well, there's not a whole lot we can do about it anyway. And so all the stress and anxiety steals our joy in the meantime. Worry doesn't change a thing. Worry doesn't stop the clock from ticking or make the situation any different. Worry just ruins our day, gives us stomach ulcers, and takes away from the fun we could have otherwise.
I found myself driving home from the grocery store praying for relief from my anxiety. I had forgotten what this felt like, and I can say that it's not a feeling I am fond of. But I have a hard time letting go. I have a hard time just hanging out and patiently waiting, and I have a hard time not re-living situations in my mind. Maybe I do struggle too much with expectations, or maybe I'm just that much of a control freak. But it's little situations like these that God reminds me of how much I do need Him. I am reminded of how I can't handle the stress of life on my own. He reminds me of how I need to let go and not let anxiety and worry steal my joy. Things happen the way they happen. The outcome is never predictable. But thank goodness that God already knows. Thank goodness that He can and will determine how it all comes together. It may be the way we planned, or it may be completely opposite, but it's never a surprise to Him. And so we loosen our grip, ease our minds, lay our anxious hearts and His feet, and we wait.
#676 - Because He eases our anxiety.
“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?" - Matthew 6:25
I came home to take a nap afterwards, and I woke up filled with anxiety that has yet to leave me. After sleeping for two hours, I suppose my brain had a little time to itself and I woke up with all sorts of thoughts racing through my head. I wondered how I looked in the pictures. How was I standing? Were my smiles awkward? Was my hair falling in the right place? How did we look as a group? And then, if that wasn't enough to drive me crazy, I started to think about a hundred different poses I wish I would have suggested. I have stressed and worried all afternoon long because I have no clue how these pictures will look when I see them and I can't do anything about that now. All I know is what I looked like this morning, and the camera will tell the rest.
This is pretty reflective of life, isn't it? We have plans, expectations, and ideas of how we want things to go, yet we really never know what's going to happen until all is said and done. We prepare as much as we can for the desired outcome but that doesn't always mean it plays out that way. And truthfully, most of the time life ends up being a surprise. We only have so much control, and we often come to find out that it is actually really limited. And so all we can do is show up where we are supposed to be, be as ready as we can be, and just let things happen the way they are going to happen.
The one thing I've come to notice, as I have spent my fair share of days stressing over how things might turn out, is that we usually end up worrying over nothing. Not always, but usually. And when the occasion arises that nothing is actually something, well, there's not a whole lot we can do about it anyway. And so all the stress and anxiety steals our joy in the meantime. Worry doesn't change a thing. Worry doesn't stop the clock from ticking or make the situation any different. Worry just ruins our day, gives us stomach ulcers, and takes away from the fun we could have otherwise.
I found myself driving home from the grocery store praying for relief from my anxiety. I had forgotten what this felt like, and I can say that it's not a feeling I am fond of. But I have a hard time letting go. I have a hard time just hanging out and patiently waiting, and I have a hard time not re-living situations in my mind. Maybe I do struggle too much with expectations, or maybe I'm just that much of a control freak. But it's little situations like these that God reminds me of how much I do need Him. I am reminded of how I can't handle the stress of life on my own. He reminds me of how I need to let go and not let anxiety and worry steal my joy. Things happen the way they happen. The outcome is never predictable. But thank goodness that God already knows. Thank goodness that He can and will determine how it all comes together. It may be the way we planned, or it may be completely opposite, but it's never a surprise to Him. And so we loosen our grip, ease our minds, lay our anxious hearts and His feet, and we wait.
#676 - Because He eases our anxiety.
“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?" - Matthew 6:25
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