When Worry Makes Me Weary

I was so incredibly blessed by this devotional yesterday. Hope it touches you as well. I believe it pertains to so many of us.

"When Worry Makes Me Weary"

Renee Swope

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 (NIV)

As we drove home from a weekend in the mountains, I felt a heavy sense of dread and sadness. Laying my head back on my seat, I told my husband, J.J., "I don't want to go home."

After talking through my reasons with him, I realized the stress and strain of countless commitments - at home and work - were taking a toll on me. I just wanted to go back to the mountains where I could rest.

J.J. encouraged me to make a list of everything on my plate and ask God what I needed to cut back. At first I resented his suggestion. It felt like he'd just added one more thing I "needed to do." Yet I knew J.J. was right and eventually I made the list.

Then I asked God to show me where to make changes. Much to my surprise the changes I sensed Him leading me to make weren't in my schedule - they were in me.

God didn't show me I needed to cut back at work or in ministry. He didn't show me our kids were in too many activities. He didn't lead me to take a sabbatical, although I was kind of hoping He would.

Instead, I sensed it was worry - not my workload - that was making me weary.

I thought about the months leading up to this point and realized I'd spent almost as much time thinking and worrying about deadlines as I spent working on them. Some days my concerns about commitments and meeting people's expectations had consumed me.

I had let my mind dwell on the possible outcome of several different decisions - all at the same time - and it left me depleted mentally, emotionally and physically.

Honestly though, until I stopped and talked to God about it, I didn't recognize my mental mayhem as worry.

My mind is wired to think a lot so I'd gotten used to the constant flurry of motion in my brain. Yet anxiety had crept in slowly, causing tangles in my thoughts, a tightening in my chest, and tension in my neck. Some days I couldn't stop thinking about ALL I needed to do.

Instead of going back to the mountains to rest, I sensed God wanted me to find a resting place in His presence right in the middle of my busy life. Through today's key verse from Matthew 11:28, He invited me to come to Him with the worries that were making me weary.

Do you sense Him inviting you to come to Him today?

He promises a place to quiet your thoughts in His presence. "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'" (Ps. 91:1-2 NIV)

He offers freedom from the captivity of your concerns when you bring them to Him:"'Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. And I will lead you back from captivity.'" (Jeremiah 29:13-14 NIV)

Today, instead of letting our worries make us weary, let's respond to God's invitation and come to Him - asking, seeking and finding a resting place for our restless thoughts.

Dear Lord, when my concerns consume me, help me remember You are there inviting me to come to You and talk about all I'm thinking and doing. Show me if my workload or my worries are making me weary and help me trust You with both. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Here Renee gives some practical tips to help our weary souls :)

Who or What Defines You?

Have you ever been defined or "labeled"  by someone or something that you felt put in a box or that you had to live up to that definition?

Or do you ever find yourself defining another by a few small experiences with them?

I have been thinking about this whole defining people thing...I know I am guilty of it. I am guilty of defining a neighbor (don't worry she doesn't read my blogs, let alone know my first or last name) by the fact that she has 5 cats and I've encountered a couple of crabby moments with her, as the "Crabby cat lady". Honestly, it's not right on my part. There is obviously more to her than that and who am I to judge her in the first place, let alone define her entire being on those 2 little things?!

I am guilty of defining others besides my neighbor. While some defining words may be justified, more times than not they're premature.

We have all been defined by something or someone, be it positively or negatively.

I was once defined as "crazy" in a room full of about 100 women. It actually didn't bother me. But it really bothered my best friend. It bothered her because she said "that's NOT who you are.  Sure you can have fun and be wild and crazy, but you are not 'crazy' as a definition. That's like saying that's all there is to you. There's so many other things she could have said when introducing you".

Lately, I have been thinking about how we are quick to define others based on small moments with them. We allow those small moments to define their entire being. This "Crazy" situation keeps coming to my mind and I can see my best friend's point.

I still don't care or worry that "oh no people are going to think that's all there is to me" because I have a godly confidence. But what does bother me is that when I stop to think about it, when I would spend time with these women they brought out my fun side. My wild side. I had fun with them. In a moment when I thought I could be myself, I was being defined by only that.

Sometimes our seasons in life define us. Our family, be it good or bad defines us. Our friends define us. Our actions define us. What we say or do...how we look...our past...rumors...gossip...our jobs, etc.

Some definitions are honestly legit and called for. Some sell us & others short.

When we find ourselves quick to 'define' another, I think we should ask ourselves "is this how I would want to be labeled?".

Labels I am okay with:
Jeremy's wife
My kids mom
Sister
Friend
My dad's daughter
My mom's daughter
and anything POSITIVE that would build my character & esteem or would rightfully summarize me as a human being

Labels I am not okay with:
The past or
Anything that is NEGATIVE or that sells me short as a human being

Don't let another define you by anything negative. Don't let anyone define you by your past. Don't allow another imperfect human being to sell you short by wrongfully summarizing you as a person. There's more to you than the world's definitions/labels. GOD defines & labels us in SO many other rightful, positive, encouraging & esteeming ways! Listen to HIM and the other esteem building people in your life. And strive to BE an esteem builder for others.

Never judge another until you've walked a mile in their shoes 

Letting Go

Let go and let God 

knowing that the source of all good IS in charge.

"When one door closes another door opens; 

but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, 

that we do not see the ones which open for us." -Alexander Graham Bell

"Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened." -Dr Seuss

“We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the life that is waiting for us." -Joseph Campbell

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. -Philippians 4:6-7

"There are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind.     But keep in mind that letting go isn’t the end of the world; it’s the beginning of a new life."

I want to let go, I'm weary and bound
I'm giving it up; I'm laying it down, oh
Take it away, out of my hands
Out of my reach and safe in your plans.

'Cause I need to know, that you can hear me,
Fill me with your peace, yeah, and cover me gently,
Like only you can...

So take me, and hold me, break me and mold me,
Take me, and hold me, break me and mold me
I want to let go

Cradle my hands, knuckles so white
Open them up, and say it's alright, oh
Show me a plan, call it your own
Make it a journey, leading me home

'Cause I need to know, that you can hear me
Fill me with your peace, yeah, and cover me gently
Like only you can...

So take me, and hold me, break me and mold me, oh
Take me, and hold me, break me and mold me
I want to let go

Our Core

Each of us has a core.  A "who we are at the core of our being". When we compromise that core, we are only keeping up temporary appearances. Because who we are at the core, is who God created us to be. It doesn't change. Attitudes change. Choices change. Priorities change. Seasons change. Life around us changes so we adapt, we adjust. We grow, we mature, we learn, we like new things and dislike old things, etc. But the core of who we are doesn't change. We may try to cover it up for a time as we try to be someone we are not. We might make attempts to tailor our core to fit another's ideal, but it won't last. Eventually we all get sick of pretending.


Men and women can find themselves frustrated in relationships after they marry or make a strong commitment and the other person has "seemingly changed". But I think it's less that people change and more so that their or our core eventually comes out. We can only mask our core for so long.


I think more often we try and fool ourselves and others into thinking we are someone we are not so we can have control in some area of our lives. We do it to get that certain job. To get others to do what we want. To get the girl or guy. To get the part. To make a certain hire. We become the flavor of the hour to appease man, rather than remain who we are at the core and live for the audience of ONE off the bat. In the end if we're not ourselves to begin with all control is lost.


When we can live for the audience of God alone, all else will fall into place. There will be no masks. No facades. No pretending. No temporary stuff we cannot keep up with. We don't have to fool people so we can manipulate them.


This is who I am, this is what I like to do, and so on and so forth is not an excuse to live like a maniac or to not change the outer layers around our core. Sometimes those outer layers need a revamp.


But don't change for anyone or anything. Be yourself. You are you for a reason. Don't pretend to be someone you are not. Don't even try to fool yourself into thinking you are someone you weren't created to be. Be wholly, completely, uniquely you.


Don't measure yourself against the standard of man. Don't compare yourself to others.


Ecclesiastes 7:29 MSG -God made men and women true and upright; we're the ones who've made a mess of things


NCV-One thing I have learned: God made people good, but they have found all kinds of ways to be bad.


Your core is good. 
God created you to be good. 
Stay true to who you are at the core of your being.
There's so much freedom in that.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "For Whites Only". We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

The Past & it's Broken Pieces

Don't let your failures define who you are. Learn from them & leave them in the past. God is greater than our mistakes. He is full of mercy & grace. Learn lessons & move on. Draw near to God. He is waiting with arms wide open. YOU are so loved! Don't live a life of regrets. Don't beat yourself up over yesterday's failures. 

Come as you are, with all your broken pieces & all your shameful scars. Bring all of the pain you hold in your heart to Jesus! Listen to this song & let the words bless your heart. Receive God's forgiveness and don't continue beating yourself up over the past that cannot be changed.

Louder than the voice that whispers you're unworthy, hear the sound of love that tells a different story! Shattering your darkness & pushing through the lies. How tenderly he calls us! His arms are open wide!

You may have messed up in your life and feel so ashamed of your past, but God forgives us, loves us and will never be ashamed of us when we give it all to Him!

I, even I, am He who not only forgives your sin, but also forgets! -Isaiah 43:25

Normal vs. Weird

I am curious as to what constitutes a person as "weird"... And why is "weird" not the "norm"? Why is normal not weird? Who's to say you're not the weird one? I, for one, take great joy in people saying "Oh my gosh, you are such a weirdo". Especially coming from my siblings or close friends, etc. To me those are words of endearment. Such as when I might call someone a dork, goof, or nerd. It's all in love.

I read a post recently that classified a group of individuals as weird. I got to thinking, so, if EVERYONE around me is "weird"...everyone but me, well, doesn't that in a sense make me the odd man out? So by their standards wouldn't they be the norm and me be weird?

Anyhoo, What IS normal anyways? And who wrote the definition for it? What is weird? What constitutes a person as weird?

Who are we to pinpoint or classify someone as weird or different? Isn't that how God created us? Each Different, yet Equal!?

If we were created different, yet equal, why are we not living like it?

Striving to Be REAL in a Fake, Fake World

Why are so many of us afraid of vulnerability? What is it about being "fake" that is so appealing? Are we afraid to be who we really are? Do we even know who we really are? Or is it that we are surrounded by people with opinions so "high & mighty" it causes the unfortunate disease called "worrying what people think". If we would just worry less about WHAT people are thinking and realize they AREN'T thinking about us we'd be SO much more free to do and be who we are!

One thing I know is we live to please God, NOT man. If we are doing what we know God wants us to do, if we are where He wants us to be, if we are who He has made us we're good. IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT PEOPLE THINK OR SAY ABOUT US THAT DETERMINES WHO WE ARE. ITS WHO GOD IS AND WHO HE SAYS WE ARE!

The key to breaking this fake, two-faced world we live in, is vulnerability. Being who we are. Staying true to ourselves and to our core. Sticking to the non-negotiables, no matter what. Be strong in the Lord. Be yourself! Open up and don't be afraid. Happy people are REAL people. Happy people are not afraid of vulnerability. To be free, we have got to put ourselves out there!

Sour, unhappy people are FAKE people.

And remember if someone is talking to YOU about someone else, chances are they will talk about you behind your back as well. So beware of the gossipers and backstabbers of this fake, fake world.

Also let's be slow to judge. Quick to love and accept. Slow to make assumptions. Quick to love and see the good in others.

Be strong enough to make our own "opinions". Don't go off of what others say.

Every ONE has a story. Every ONE is worthy of love. We are all equal. We ALL fall short of the glory of God.

And Christians!!! Attention Christians!!! We are in this walk, in this life together!!! Model OUR model! Jesus Christ. The most REAL, vulnerable, loving man to ever walk the face of this earth! Stop being so mean, rude, and judgmental. Being a christian doesn't make us better, it makes us FORGIVEN! Being a christian doesn't give us a ONE up on anyone else. We've messed up and misconstrued what true christianity is all about.

So, let it start with us. Be Real. Be vulnerable. Don't hide in this fake, fake world. Fakeness only = misery.

~Laura Chapman