worry | NovelSisters

Response to Hardship

by lydiamhill

This past week has been crazy busy with all sorts of things, big important work duties, a friend’s wedding, my brother’s birthday. But then yesterday, things seemed to take a turn for the worse. My mom started having severe nerve pain that just would not stop. Sometimes it was so bad she started crying. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my mom in such pain. Add onto that work stuff frustrating my Dad, and pet concerns worrying my sister and I suddenly felt like I was stuck in the middle of multiple spiritual attacks.

But in the midst of it, I felt like God was telling me to just worship Him. To take my eyes off of all the problems and fears and worries and stress and just worship Him. So I started singing, I started meditating on scripture, and I grabbed my Dad and asked him to pray with me. Not all the problems went away. My mom is still in a lot of pain, my sister still has pet issues and I’m not sure what to do to help. But I felt a sense of God’s peace, when I stopped and worshiped last night. And I want to hold onto that. Even in the midst of storms, He is present. Even when life is hard, He is still good. Even when you don’t see a way out, He has a plan. I’m learning to hold on to Him and trust Him for myself and others.

So I’m still in the midst of the storm and I’d appreciate the prayers. I’m so thankful that I can ask my brothers and sisters in Christ for help and support. But I’m also in the arms of my Loving Father and I trust that He will bring me and my family through this current trial.

Christian Life

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Finding Dory and Worry

by lydiamhill

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I got to see Finding Dory, finally. I loved Finding Nemo and I’ve been waiting for this sequel for forever! Anyway, I noticed in the movie that Dory is very worried about her short term memory loss and that she will forget something important. And then I read this article about someone who deals with anxiety by keeping herself distracted and doing all these things to keep her busy. And then one of my good friends was in a car accident and she’s been dealing with all of the crazy stress and thoughts of why this happened to her. So anyway, I thought I’d sum up all my thoughts on these things in one blog post.

So here it goes. First off, if all you want to know is how Finding Dory compares to Finding Nemo, then it was great! If you loved the first movie, you’ll love the sequel. There are old characters that still make you laugh and a lot of new characters that are just as charming and hilarious. I definitely saw some similarities in the storyline to the first film. But there are enough changes to this movie, that it’s not a problem. I loved that we get to see Dory’s past, especially since she had forgotten what it was in the first film. It was great to see her piecing together her history and where she came from and who she is, but also realizing that her current relationships are just as important as her past ones.
Now I don’t want to ruin the movie for any of you out there who haven’t seen the film, so I’ll just leave you with a preview:

But as for the bigger picture, Dory, along with all of us, can get caught up in life and what is happening now and forget to think about the big picture stuff, like why are we here? What’s our purpose? Does my life really matter? I think these kind of questions can sometimes cause anxiety if we never address them.

And the article I read brought up some similar points and mentioned other negative thoughts that people who are anxious have running through their head. Here are some of the thoughts that I found familiar:
“You’re not good enough.”
“You’re a bad friend.”
“What are you doing with yourself?”
“You’re a fraud. Just good at faking it.”
“Everyone else has it together but you.”
“So many people have it tougher than you.”

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So whether you’re dealing with a traumatic event, or just the everyday busyness and life’s little problems, anxiety can trap us. We get stuck thinking negative thoughts and we need to stop. Dory “just kept swimming” to deal with this problem and focused on just doing the next thing. And the lady in the article I read suggested taking a second to stop and be still.

But what I’ve found is that no matter what situation I’m in, the best thing to help me not be anxious is taking my problem to God. Remembering that He is in control, He is good, He has a plan, and He loves me puts those negative thoughts back in their place. They are lies and attacks and I don’t need to listen to them. As I turn my gaze to the One who loves me, who died in my place, who has good in store for me and will never leave me alone or abandon me, I find a peace that transcends understanding.

So I hope this post encourages you today.

Christian Life Movies

Bridge of Spies and Worry

by lydiamhill

A couple weeks ago I got to watch the Bridge of Spies with my family. It was a very well done movie and if you like dramas, or historical films, you’d love this one. Tom Hanks always does a fantastic job in his movies and this one is no exception. I loved the story and the characters, but the one thing that stuck out to me from the whole movie was a line that Rudolf Abel says several times. He is a Soviet sent to America to serve his country. In his eyes he has done nothing wrong. But he gets caught up in all of the drama of the Cold War and is accused of being a spy and even threatened with death. Then he is sentenced to jail and later offered as an exchange for an American prisoner. But in all of the tough circumstances he constantly maintains a calm attitude. Throughout the movie other characters ask him, “Aren’t you worried?” and he responds calmly, “Would it help?”

And does it? I know I’ve spent a lot of my time worrying about little things that don’t even matter, and does it make a difference at all? No, not really. Worry accomplishes nothing, it helps no one. And even though I know this, I often still do it. So how do we stop it?

Well while I was in Mozambique, I shared a Bible story with the children about this exact thing. After acting out a skit with a fellow team member where she was really worried, I read them these verses:

“Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!” -Luke 12:22-28 NIV

After sharing these verses, I prayed with the actor, and told the kids that instead of worrying, we could be thankful. Then the whole team helped the children make flowers out of pipe cleaners and construction paper. And I told them that they could write things they were thankful for on the flower petals to remind them not to worry and that God could take care of them.

And I think that’s the real issue with worry. Worry comes when we think we are in control and we can change our circumstance by doing something. So we get ourselves all worked up thinking about all the things we can do, to make sure it goes the right way (our way). We try to predict what could go wrong and how to fix it. We might even try to make sure everyone is happy. But in the end we only wear ourselves out and often no matter how much we planned or worried or stressed, it still doesn’t come together the way we hoped.

I think the reason that Rudolf Abel was not worried, was that he knew and accepted that he was not in control. He didn’t stress about his circumstances because he knew he couldn’t change them. And I think when we do the same thing with God and accept that He is the one in control, not us, then it’s a lot easier to relax and stop worrying. Because ultimately God is in control and what He has planned is good. It may not be what we expect or want, but it is good. And I think that’s one of the big things I learned from going to Mozambique. I didn’t try to be in control while I was on the trip. I just held my plans loosely and laughed when they got changed. I didn’t worry about what I would say in front of a large group, or how a Bible lesson would come together, I simply trusted God and did my best. And it was so freeing.

So I want to encourage you today. You don’t have to worry either, God is in control of your life and He has the best plan. So trust Him, and if you’re still having trouble with worry, ask someone to pray with you.

Christian Life Movies Mozambique Stories

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