Friday, October 5, 2012

31 Days of Peace, Day 5

Turning Worry into Peace

On the morning of February 15th 2009, I was anxiously awaiting the birth of my son.  But it wasn’t just the excitement of meeting him that was on my mind.  I was also worried that he wouldn’t come in time.  My husband was deployed and my mom and mother-in-law were in town to help take care of my daughter when I was at the hospital, and to be there with me for extra help in the first few days after his birth.  This morning, though, was already their sixth morning in town and there was only so much time before they had to go home.
As each day passed, I grew more and more burdened with the idea that perhaps my body would not be ready for labor until after they had gone home.  I asked my midwife about inducing, but she said they would not do it until I was two-weeks past my due date.  By that time my help would be long-gone.  I felt hopeless, as I was at the mercy of nature’s timing rather than my own.  There was nothing I could do to ensure this baby would be born when I needed him to be.


That Sunday morning I received an e-mail from a friend who was passing along the following message: “Don’t tell God how big your problems are, tell your problems how big your God is.” (Unknown author)  I read it over a few times and then decided to give it a try.  I found a quiet spot and spoke these words: “Anxiety, go away. You can’t cripple me.  My God has a plan, a plan that’s right for me.  No matter what that plan is, everything is going to be okay.  I am done letting you create worry in my mind.  My baby will come exactly when he’s supposed to.”  A few hours later, my water broke.
As soon as I confronted my problem, my worry turned into peace.  It reminded me to have faith in God’s timing.  It reminded me that we can go ahead and make our plans, but ultimately it is not us who decides our fate.  It reminded me that God won’t give me anything I can’t handle.
 
What problems are you facing right now?  Perhaps it’s time to pull them aside, look them square in the face, and tell them how big your God is.

To view all posts in the 31 Days of Peace series, click here.

To read what others are writing about for 31 days, click here.

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