My sweet Tucker has a 9-year old body, but the heart and mind of someone who is 39. He is so smart. I know all parents say that about their kids, but he truly is quite brilliant. Over the last several weeks, he has struggled with separation anxiety and extreme worry. The crazy part is, he is worrying about me. It was so bad that he wasn’t able to stay at school one day last week, doesn’t want to participate in children’s activities at church and when I am working he is FaceTiming me or messaging me to check on me. I can’t be gone out of the room he is in for long before he is hollering, “Mama, where are you?!?!” He worries about me being safe, getting hurt and just plain out missing me!
We spent the majority of our Friday morning last week praying together to mentally prepare him for school. He has always loved school, but couldn’t bear the thoughts of being away from me, because “he misses me” and he is a “mama’s boy”. I have figured out the reasons why he has started doing this more often and as a mama, I want to fix them. I have received lots of advice on what I should do, but I am leaning on God to take care of the situation. Usually when I step in, I make a mess of things. It has been emotionally exhausting, but I know that if I can calm his fears and reassure Him that God is going to take care of me (and him), those worries will soon fade.
Aren’t we a lot like Tucker with adult issues? We worry about bills, kids, work, marriage, and small stuff like making sure we don’t look homeless at least one day a week. Sometimes to the point we can’t function or make ourselves sick. I’ve never been much of a worrier. I have my issues (more than I’d like to admit), but I’ve never been one to worry about the everyday things of life. I’ve adopted the philosophy that God has taken care of me for 37 years (geez, I’m old) and he isn’t going to stop today. God is so much bigger than all of our problems. So, I feel like I need to reassure YOU today that God is going to take care of YOUR problems, too.
How often do we pray to God and trust Him with all our worries and cares? Just like Tucker, we need that prayer to psych ourselves up and mentally prepare ourselves for the day. Just as us mama’s are good at calming the fears of our precious babies, God is even better at calming the nerves of His children. Just as we trust ourselves with the well-being of our little ones…we must be willing to trust God with the anxieties we face. If it is important to you, it is important to God. If you don’t remember anything today, remember that. Smile and throw your worries out the window. God’s peace is with you.
Philippians 4:6-7 “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.”