‘Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ‘ Philippians 4:6 (NLT)
‘Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.’ 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)
‘Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.’ Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)
‘Give your burdens to the Lord , and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.’ Psalms 55:22 (NLT)
Anxiety is a fickle foe. It can be slippery, almost hard to define or put a finger on. Sometimes it sneaks up on us and sometimes we can feel its wrath approaching miles away. But one thing is for certain, at some point in your life, you have experienced anxiety. And if you’re reading this plan, more specifically, you may be experiencing preoperative anxiety right now.
The good news is that you are not the first to experience this emotion. In fact, surgeons admit that preoperative anxiety for patients is extremely common and the majority experience it! Anxiety can sometimes be described as one of our stronger emotions. That may be due to its ability to completely bring our lives to a screeching halt. It has the power to hold us back from experiencing the fullness of life.
You may not even feel like the same person anymore. Both anxiety and pain have the power to change people and, mixed together, can be the recipe for hardship. Maybe your anxiety has taken the shape of anger, question asking, tears, or even avoidance of the topic of surgery all together.
But here’s what God wants you to know. He knew you would have this surgery long before you even had a body to have surgery on! And He even knew you would be anxious about it.
He’s not surprised by your anxiety. Why do you think the apostle Paul told us to “not be anxious about anything”? God knew it would be something we would all struggle with. And so, He is ready to equip us and walk with us. Our faith doesn’t mean we suddenly are no longer anxious, it just means our lives aren’t controlled by our anxiety.
Could your anxiety be holding you back from the physical restoration of life you desperately need?
from Restoring Life: Anxiety