So, when my time is threatened, I get anxious.
This anxiety almost always leads to fear of failure.
That’s when I realized the clock and the calendar had become idols.
As a result, I took some intentional anxiety-breaking steps to course correct.
What do you know! My anxiety levels calmed substantially by simply putting into practice a few small “helps” (for those, you have to go back to previous blogs – shameless plug).
In the meantime, my “to do” list hasn’t gotten shorter, but longer.
The calendar for August hasn’t emptied, but filled a bit fuller (and September isn’t looking much better).
Somehow, I’m squeezing in more, but plugging away and checking things off as I go.
All-the-while, I’m attempting to keep my thoughts managed, to lean into the Presence of my Ever-Present Lord, and simply take the next right step.
I have a feeling that I could continue to mine treasures of wisdom for conquering fear and anxiety until Kingdom-come, but I’m sensing with today’s thoughts, this will be a for-now-wrap-up.
In the midst of dinner dishes the other night, I contemplated the topic of worry.
One incredibly mundane task took me on a journey back to Africa (I did a lot of dishes by hand back in the day, and that became some of my best thinking, praying, planning, prepping time…).
For several years, I led an early morning Bible study in one of the dorms for senior girls.
I don’t know how much they learned the times we gathered, but the teacher took away A LOT of practical life lessons.
One semester, we did a series on giant killing.
Giants interrupt our lives consistently.
With different names and tactics, they have one goal: to disrupt our growing relationship with Jesus through intimidation.
Of course, the giant of worry showed up on the scene almost immediately…
While rinsing green chili stew off plate after plate, I reflected back to that study.
I recalled how ExCiTeD (!!!!) I got over one little Greek word (yes, I AM a word-nerd).
Because it slides off the tongue so nicely, it’s the moniker I attached to the Worry-Giant we all need to slay: Merimnao.
My dear friend, the Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible, by Spiros Zodhiates, informed me that this particular Greek word had two parts (one part noun, one part verb) which combined together to create a vivid word picture.
N: the mind
V: to divide
When we worry, it’s the result of allowing the enemy of our souls to chop up our intellect into tiny little unmanageable pieces.
What a revelation!
Of course, this is a favorite tactic the enemy of our souls takes advantage of; and, when we willingly put our minds on his chopping block, look out!
He will divide our attentions in a thousand different ways, and dance with delight, as he slashes our minds into bits.
Is it any wonder, then, that the Lord speaks so often about our minds?
Of course not!
It’s why the Lord God reminds us that we fight in a war that needs especially peculiar armor. We don’t fight flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces of evil. One important piece of armor is the helmet – to protect our minds from the devil’s crafty schemes (see Ephesians 6:10-18).
It’s why we are admonished to continually renew our minds, transforming our thoughts, so that we can discern what is good, acceptable, and wise (Romans 12:1-2).
It’s why we are commanded to cast away old ways of thinking, and be renewed in the spirit of our minds (Ephesians 4:22-23).
It’s why we are told to “think/meditate on those things that are true, noble, pure, right, honorable, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy” (Philippians 4:8).
BUT OF ALL THE WORDS SPOKEN ABOUT OUR MINDS, THIS ONE PRODDED ME MORE TOWARD CHANGE:
When the enemy comes at us with his meat cleaver in hand, we come back with our sword of truth.
THINK!
God-thoughts. What perspective would God have on my life right now?
The End (but not the end…)!