What Your Mind Needs for Anxious MomentsSample

We all have anxious thoughts. Maybe yours happen when you watch the news, worry about a loved one, get ready for a big meeting, or stare at the ceiling at night worrying about the future. Your heart might pound, your mind may race, or your sleep could get interrupted.

Your anxiety might even make you wonder if your faith is weak or if something is wrong with you. But neither of those is true. Anxiety is an inevitable part of being human, but it doesn’t have to control your mind. You really can live with more contentment and less worry, more inner peace and less fear, more joy, and less stress.

How do I know? Because one in every five Americans has anxiety significant enough to be diagnosed with a disorder, and I’m among them. A recent poll showed 62 percent of people feel more anxious than they did a year ago. While we’re facing new challenges, anxiety itself is as old as humanity.

Adam and Eve hid in the garden because they were anxious. Peter experienced anxiety when he tried to walk on water but found himself sinking. Paul encouraged the Philippians not to be anxious but to take every detail of their lives to God. Over the next few days, we’ll look at times when biblical characters experienced anxiety. We’ll explore what God wants to show us through those stories so you can apply these lessons to your life.

You don’t have to keep putting up with your anxiety. You don’t have to stay stuck in the same old worries. You don’t have to continue surrendering your joy to stress.

This is the divine invitation offered to you: “Cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you.” God alone is big enough to carry your burdens, work out all your worries, and take your anxious moments and transform them into soul-deep peace. God’s love for you is endless, His grace is complete, and His plan for your life is full of hope. He alone can set you free from anxiety one moment, one thought, one step at a time—starting right now.

PRAYER: God, thank you for the divine invitation to cast all of my anxiety on you. I accept that invitation today and ask that over the next few days you will help me let go of my worries, fears, and cares so I can embrace your love for me in an even deeper way. Amen.

REFLECT: When is the first time you remember experiencing anxiety? Go back to that moment and picture Jesus with you. What does he want to say to your anxious heart?