Daily Dwelling

“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.” Phil. 4:6-7

Most people talk about the holidays being the busiest time of year and there is some truth to that! However, the month of May can feel just as overwhelming. End of the school year activities, graduation season, exams, planning for summer vacation, and the list goes on. In the midst of chaotic seasons, it is easy to turn yourself on auto-pilot mode just to get through each busy day. But we must remember that God is asking us to come to Him not only at the end of our busy day, but in the middle of it!

Take everything to God in prayer: It may surprise you that God cares about the little things that cause us anxiety. It’s easy to think because God is so big He only cares about the big moments in our lives. But God knows all things and He knows each stressor we have better than ourselves or anyone else around us! Why would we not turn to Him in our stress? Next time you are throwing everything and everyone in the car on the way to your third engagement of the day and you feel the temptation rising to be frantic; pause in the car by yourself or with your children and pray. You would be surprised how the peace of God calms your worn out spirit.

With thanksgiving: Gratitude and complaining cannot coexist. When we are actively thanking God it is almost impossible to also complain about what’s going wrong. We are all so blessed! The creator God is sustaining all things, including each breath you take. We can truly do nothing apart from God. Even in the midst of what feels like a never-ending season of busyness, practicing thanksgiving before God keeps us aware of the many ways He is blessing us! Gratitude anchors us to know that where God has already been faithful, He will continue to be faithful!

Accepting the peace of God: The peace of God remains in us during these busy seasons. As it remains, this passage tells us that it will guard our hearts and minds. He is actively giving you strength and guidance in each moment of every day. We must choose to approach God daily with our anxieties, fears and worries and rest in His peace.

When we ignore the Lord we do ourselves a disservice of seeing Him more throughout our day, receiving His peace and experiencing His goodness. Most importantly, when we ignore Him we are actively choosing to not be in relationship with Him. So even in this crazy season, choose Him, pursue Him and be deeply blessed.