Here's
what I hate: anxious thoughts.
I
got a note from the girl's elementary school this week that stated that a
student had been sent home because they had lice. Ugh! This is not
my first time to receive a letter like this--once your child is in school, be
it pre-school, public, or private, you too will get a "lice letter" at some
point.
Immediately
after reading the note, I started itching. My third grader then reported
that she got checked and did not have any lice. Great! I did a
thorough check of her head anyway, just to make sure. Then, I began
questioning her: "did anyone in your class have lice??" "Yes,"
she answered, "Evan* did and he sits right next to me!" Nice.
So, I checked her head again. All the while worrying thoughts
filled my brain: What if she has it!? We'll have to put all her
stuffed animals in bags and shave her head and get our house fumigated!!!
(*=real name withheld to protect the infested.)
The
letter came a few days ago and so far, we are still in the clear. But,
there's nothing like hearing about someone with lice to make your skin crawl
and the phantom itching begin! (I bet you are itching now.)
Anxious
thoughts are a lot like that phantom itch. You hear about an illness or a
tragedy in someone else's life and you begin to worry that it might happen to
you. Is this fever a virus or something serious? Is my headache
just allergies or a brain tumor? I'm traveling on an airplane this
week--last time I got delayed, what if it happens again!? (This is an actual
fear I am facing right now since I really am traveling tomorrow!)
Psalm 94:19 says that anxious thoughts tend to multiply. Like lice, they lay
their eggs and start sucking the life out of you (literally). And just
like lice, anxious thoughts are hard to get rid of. Luckily, we don't
have to do it on our own...
Psalm 139:23 says we can ask God to search our hearts for anxious thoughts (much like
I've been searching Abbey's hair strand by strand!)
But,
what do we do when He finds an anxious thought? Well, the end of Psalm
94:19 says that God's consolations delight our soul. (Think of a delighted soul as a nice, clean, lice-free head
of hair). What are His consolations? Well, for starters, He
promised never to leave us or forsake us. NEVER. So, the very worst thing
we could imagine might indeed happen, but God will not leave us--He will uphold our soul FOREVER.
Also,
I was recently reading in Proverbs, which says that if you have wisdom, then
"when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep
will be sweet." Have you ever had your sleep stolen from you by
anxious lice-like thoughts!? I have. So, how does wisdom equal a
good night's rest, free from anxiety? What's the connection between
wisdom and peace?
Well,
Proverbs tells us how to get wisdom...ready for it?
Fear
of the Lord?
What
does that mean? What does it mean to fear God?
I
believe it includes a sense of awe--I mean, think about His greatness for just a minute...realize how powerful and magnificent He is. When you focus on Him and develop
a deeper understanding of His capabilities, it can really wash away fear and
anxiety. Because if you intimately
know Him and all that He is capable of, then you trust that He is definitely
bigger than any possible scenario.
Fear
man or future and we make them bigger than God.
Fear
God and we are blessed with a wisdom that washes away fear and brings sweet
dreams.
Here’s
what I love: JJ Heller does a great job of singing about God's sweet consolations in these two songs... (click on each link for complete lyrics. You won't regret it!)
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