We are embarking on another journey.
After closing our home to foster care after our fourth adoption, we decided to reopen our home once again to foster children, offering them a safe place of love during the tumultuous time in their lives. We have agreed to welcome children from infancy to two years old and are excited about where God will take us.
But I’m nervous too. I worry about the logistics of adding a fifth child to our already rambunctious crew. I worry about the logistics of scheduling, work, and appointments—the things I can’t prepare for beforehand … the things I have to trust will work out when the time comes.
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. Paul’s words remind me not to worry … about anything. Instead, I need to pray about everything, telling God what I need and thanking Him for all He has done. Then I’ll experience His peace.
In theory, the verses seem to say we’re to tell God what we need and then not worry. But theory doesn’t always translate well into reality. We tend to tell God what we need, but then hold on to it, clinging with worry instead of releasing it with faith.
When we allow God to take on our worries, we experience His peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. The feeling of knowing we’re taken care of, and the thoughts that come with believing everything will be okay, is just a portion of the peace we receive through God.
God listens to our pleas and praises and aches to fill us with His peace. When your heart turns to worry, turn your mind to God.
Lift up your worries, and let them go as you tell God what you need, reveling in the perfect peace that comes with His promise to take care of you.
(Photo courtesy of morguefile.)
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Angela Jamison is a mother of four and works with young children as the director of a Christian preschool. After struggling with infertility, she and her husband entered the world of foster care where they have been overwhelmed exploring the path laid before them by the most perfect Father. When she is not entertaining children, Angela loves to read, write, and connect with mothers and parents to encourage and reiterate God’s design for the toughest job on earth.