Honeychild,

Do you remember your mama or nana or pastor telling you to pray or worry but not both. I do. My mom used to say “ Well, I prayed so I won’t worry.” My pastor said that if you worry you are taking God’s ability to work on your behalf. It’s true you know.

There are many instances in my life to prove it but let me tell you about this time it really compelled me to take heed. I was stressing out about my job because of the many changes that were happening in our district. I had no idea whether I would even have a job by the end of the year and many of my colleagues were experiencing the same stressors. People were job hunting and backstabbing and creating all kinds of chaos in the name of setting up for the possible loss of position. I began wondering if I was being naive in not participating in the madness. Second guessing what I should do became another stress factor in my life. I listened to some of the grapevine gossip, making me a participant of it. I applied for positions that I didn’t want. I thought about what might happen when I should have been sleeping. I showed indifference to my performance. I prayed about I don’t even know what. I felt the stress of uncertainty daily. The list goes on. Maybe you’ve been there. Consumed and ineffectual. It was not a good look on me.

Then one day, in my meditation, it came to me to think about what I’d done in the past when confronted with the same situation. It was then that I realized I’d never had an insurmountable situation on my job. I had lost a couple of jobs in my life but never suffered beyond repair. I’d been uncomfortable on a couple of jobs, again, nothing beyond repair. The Holy Spirit was speaking to me… I will take care of you. I will not give you more than you can bear. Ahaa! I understood!

My life is God protected. There are situations that I will go through, but only to teach and grow me. There are some things that I’m just not cut out to handle and God knows it because he knitted in my mother’s womb.

There are different protected areas in each of our lives and there is nothing put on your shoulders that you can’t handle. This does not mean that you shouldn’t be concerned about the events of life. You should. Your life is your personal responsibility. However, do not be consumed by these affairs. Pray for guidance, strength, wisdom and grace. Your confidence in God’s care will be rewarded.

Scripture Reference: Hebrews 10:35-36 Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

Empowerment Link: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/why-we-worry/201206/10-tips-manage-your-worrying ( slightly different perspective but some helpful tips)