Finding Peace in an Anxious Mind

It has taken me many years to finally find peace in my life.  I have always been a very anxious and nervous person.  I always focused on the “what ifs” instead of living in the moment of what was truly happening.  As a single mom I overparented my daughter because I was afraid of what could “possibly” happen to her and was never realistic about what “wouldn’t” happen to her.  You may be this type of worrier too and if you are I hope this blog helps you.

I think my own insecurities of losing my daughter somehow haunted me every time she walked out the door or exited my car for school or dance.  It’ silly now as I look back on it because I wasn’t confident in my trust and faith so it led to constant anxiety.  I will also admit that starting my day off with the news didn’t help my worry.

I think because I had lost my first marriage due to drugs and alcohol abuse by my first husband I was so fearful of losing Lexie too.  I felt she was all I had and my source of strength.  I worried about car accidents, alcohol consumption in high school, bullying at school, failure to be there when she needed me, etc.  I never let my phone leave my side because, “What if she needed me?”  Do you live in this constant fear of “what ifs”.

I have to be very honest with you, my peace didn’t come until exactly one year ago.  I had three pressing issues in my life wearing on me constantly throughout my day and then interrupting my sleep.  Three things I was trying to control that was keeping me from my life and the joy I could be having.

The things that had a hold on me was my mother’s health as she had newly been diagnosed with melanoma, a family member was teetering on divorce and my debt was out of control and interest was racking up.  I wanted to fix every one of these problems but they all were too great and I was too little.

I climbed into a hot bath one evening because my body was chilled and my mind was exhausted.  I felt hopeless and just wanted to meditate. I listened to the meditation app and focused on clearing my mind and breathing in deep breaths of fresh air.  My lungs expanded to their fullest and my mind began to rest.  As the end of the online meditation session came to an end I heard the voice on the app say, “When you are ready, open your eyes.”  As I opened my eyes I said to God, “I trust in you Father and I am giving these problems to you.”  I took one more very deep breath and as I did, I felt peace come over me and in my mind I felt the words, “My child, all these will be fine.”  I found peace.  I would like yo help you find peace too.  I want you to know as I sit here today, my mom is cancer free, my family member is working positively on their marriage and my debt has been resolved.  Praise and thanks to God.

The first thing I would like to share with you is John 14:27.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

If you can sit quietly and repeat this verse several times for a few weeks upon waking and before sleeping it will comfort you and become natural for you to go to when you need comfort.  Breath deep as you say the verse to open your heart more fully to what you are saying.  Jesus gives us peace.  It a free gift from Him why would we not want the gift of peace?

2 Thessalonians 3:16 Now may the LORD of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The LORD be with all of you.

There are several types of peace in the Bible; spiritual, emotional and relational peace.  Let’s start with spiritual peace which is the peace of God. Peace with God means that our debt has been paid and God sees us as righteous and as His children.  It is our place to know we cannot understand the greatness of God with our minds so we need to accept that so we can have peace without understanding it.  Don’t overthink this gift.  We are reconciled with God through the sacrifice of Jesus.  It is that simple yet complicated to understand that great of love.

Philippians 4:6-7 “The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” 

Now lets talk about emotional peace or peace within us.  This is definitely the second step in peace.  You must allow yourself the peace of God before you move on to emotional peace.  To have emotional peace you must have trust in God that will lead to faith in God.  When you trust someone here on earth you know you can rely on them to not let you down.  This is the same with God but at a higher level.  Relinquishing control of your problems to God when you truly trust in Him you will know that no matter the outcome it is for His good.  You must be accepting of His outcome and not yours. God always brings us through situations better than with our earthly solutions.  When you are living in peace your heart becomes softer and more content with any problem or situation.

Colossians 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Jeremiah 24:7 I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart. 

Lastly let’s talk about relational peace and this is peace with others.  I have talked many times about loving one another even though you may not like them.  It’s okay not to like someone because of their values or opinions but we must love them as a child of God.  I do want to emphasize that if you have the spiritual peace of God and the peace within then you won’t have to work on this peace.  It will just come to you.  I noticed after I had peace within me that those people I could barely tolerate would become people I now eat lunch with and sit and have coffee.  Do you yearn for this type of peace?  I did for many years.

Romans 12:18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 

Hebrews 12:14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the LORD.

If you are struggling to find peace please remember this simple equation.

Peace with God + Peace in me = Peace in God

I am praying for your peace and happiness this holiday season.  May God bless you and comfort you daily through His peace and love.  My love, LoLo