The right way of dealing with anxiety is to notice when we are starting to encounter a situation that is beyond our normal abilities. If we don't properly respond to these anxious thoughts, then we will have to spend much more time eliminating the worries.
One time we visited my mother-in-law. We had to get back, but we were desperately sick. We had a battle just to get home.
Would God help me get certain work preparations done? Would I be able to get home okay? My wife, the chief vacation organizer, was very sick. She said, "I've never felt so bad." She looked it. My oldest daughter was feeling bad. My oldest son was slowly coming out of his long sick days. Our two-month-old was seriously sick. The two year old felt so bad that he kept crying and whining. How were we going to make a 12 hour car trip with that persistent annoying crying in the car? Impossible. We cried out to God for help to bring our 8 children peaceable home.
We saw a day full of miracles.
• Linda only had 5 hours of sleep but through a big fever–sweat, she was feeling much better.
• The two month old was manageable (since my wife was better).
• Our 2 year old didn't cry but slept in the car.
Could I have worried? Yes. Instead I was deliberate in recognizing I was in God’s hand. I would go crazy if God didn't help me. I would get very impatient and be distracted as I drove. Instead I faced these anxious thoughts and asked God to help me in this desperate situation. I sensed God wanted me home. But we had this huge set of obstacles. Could God help us?
Through the whole process, I realized I had to consciously fight worry or it would kill me. I generally went over the points below.
1) Declare the truth of God
No matter how I feel, God is lovingly caring for me.
We had to focus on God's help and His faithfulness toward us. We couldn't even get out of the bed if He didn't help us out.
2) Admit the truth of our weaknesses
I am unable to properly care for my situation.
It helped I suppose that we were so desperate. We did not have a problem seeing our weaknesses. The problem was more that we hardly had enough faith to go forward and plan to leave around 4 in the morning. Was I crazy for still wanting to go.
3) Detect the truth of our situation
God wants to help me. I know this because of the scriptures.
Because of the circumstances, I needed to continually evaluate what the Lord wanted. I asked and prayed about the questions going through my head.
We needed to get back, but could we?
We were going to be sick that day anyway. May as well be sick in the car.
But then they were so sick. Would it be right to go in the car? What if one was seriously sick in the car? It would be impossible to stay in a hotel!
If I delayed the trip, would I get sick and then trouble our host for a few more days?
As you heard, God worked out a great miracle in giving us a wonderful trip home. I didn't worry. I tried out these anxiety solutions and found out that they work. I only had to be bold in declaring these three truths.
Let's now turn and see what this session has for us. Next page
Destroying the Roots of Anxiety
