“And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?... But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.” Matthew 6: 26, 33-34a Worry and anxiety seemed to amplify in my life as soon as I took on the role of motherhood. “Will our baby be born healthy?”… “What if he runs in the street?”… “How can we protect our children from the dangers of this world?”… “Am I being a good mother?”… In this week’s Mom’s Group meeting, we discussed the Gospel passage of Matthew 6:24-34 titled “The Cure for Anxiety”. We all seemed to agree that a cure for anxiety was something we genuinely longed for. But what is the cure? In the Gospel reading this week, Jesus tells us that whenever we feel anxious, we must, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.” (Matthew 6: 33-34a). Christ calls us to seek Him, be with Him, know Him, hear Him, love Him!... And through these acts of sincere trust in Him, our anxiety will be cured! One area of my life growing up that caused great anxiety for me was test taking. I really struggled with tests and therefore testing days brought about nail biting, nervous heart racing, and sinking worried stomachs. In order to overcome these horrible feelings and become a good test taker, I discovered that I had to prepare diligently and put extra, constant effort into studying for tests. When I was prepared, I was calm, and my anxiety went away. When I was prepared, I was confident, and I was successful. In this same way, God calls us to prepare for our great tests in life by “seeking His kingdom and His righteousness.” The more prepared we are… the more we know Him… the more we seek Him… the more successful we will be as mothers, wives, and women of God! In an effort to personally prepare and seek the Lord, I decided to study and wholeheartedly delve into scripture related to overcoming anxiety, eliminating fear, and trusting in the Lord. It was truly amazing to me how much this topic is discussed in the Bible. It is obviously something that been a struggle for us throughout time. Below is a list of scripture passages that have helped me to prepare my heart, and I hope that they help you to prepare yours as well…. "God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.' So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.'" (Hebrews 13:5b-6a NIV) “Yes, my soul, finds rest in God; my hope comes from Him. Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.” (Psalm 62:5-6 NIV) “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41, 42 NIV) "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT) “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6: 12-20, NIV) “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 NASB) "If I should say, 'My foot has slipped,' Your loving-kindness, O Lord, will hold me up. When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.” (Psalms 94:18, 19 NASB) “The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1 NIV) "I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears." (Psalms 34:4 NASB) “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7, 8 NIV) “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10 NASB) “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27 NIV) For meditation: Choose one of the passages listed above that speaks to your heart the most. Write it down on a piece of paper and post it in a spot where you will see it daily. Then, find a quiet moment in meditation and say the passage prayerfully ten times in a row. Seek to truly understand it. Seek for its personal message for your life. Seek to remember it and stamp it on your heart as protection against future trials. Then listen to the song “God of Angel Armies” (click HERE), and let the passage cover your entire being with God’s grace, protection, and peace. Feel free to share with the group any other passages that you love by clicking the “Comments” link at the top of the post. Written by Amy Connelly for the Our Lady Queen of Angels Church Mom’s Group
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January 2015
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