As I was getting ready one morning a few months ago, I was thinking about the many times I’ve struggled with feeling fearful or anxious and asked the Lord, “So what is the opposite of anxiety, if that’s something You want me to put off?” In the past, I’ve just thought about the opposite of anxiety being trusting God, and while this is true, the word the Lord brought to mind was thankfulness. And it made me think of these verses:
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things (Philippians 4:4-8).
It’s not just a teeth-gritted determination to “not be anxious” or just to bring the things I’m feeling concerned about to God, it’s also a gift and opportunity He is giving me to rejoice in who He is, in what He’s done for me on the cross and in His faithfulness every day.
Though I still have times when I need to write out my full prayers, journaling through my thoughts and emotions, many days I use my journal to think through the past day or two and just take a few minutes to jot down what I’m thankful to the Lord for. And it’s been amazing how God has used this to open my eyes to the ways He’s working in me, in others, and enabled me to see patterns of His faithfulness, progress in my children’s lives to celebrate, and all the good things He is allowing me to participate in rather than comparing myself to others and feeling bad about all that I’m not doing or that others are doing. It’s also been helpful in replacing critical thoughts toward myself and others because I’ve been more able to praise God for what He’s doing in our lives rather than feeling discontent with what I or others aren’t doing.
When we take the time to reflect and thank God for all He’s doing, it transforms our thinking and becomes the overflow of the words we say to others and the things we choose to spend our time on. There are many days and have been many seasons that the pressures of life have discouraged me, but this has been one way to enjoy the glimmers of the kingdom that’s coming and that we’ll get to enjoy for all of eternity.