‘For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.’ 2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)
If you struggle with anxiety or worry, you are not alone. Best estimates say that over 40 million Americans suffer from chronic anxiety, and those are just the ones who have asked for help or are willing to admit it. Many more suffer in silence.
Being anxious about what food we eat, how our health is, whether or not we’ll get to keep our job, if our marriage is going to survive, driving, flying, public places—you name it—can lead to another form of anxiety. And that is being anxious about anxiety itself.
As anxious thoughts race through your head, hindering you from sleeping or enjoying peace during the day, guard against allowing them to spread into other areas of your life. Don’t dwell on anxious questions like: Will my emotions ever be stable? Do I have a chemical imbalance? How do I get rid of this fog? Why can’t I just be happy?
Such questions plague the worrying soul. When you don’t guard your thoughts and emotions, anxiety can become a terrible beast of our own making. But you can take control of your anxious thoughts, which is the first step toward lasting freedom.
from Prayers For Personal Peace by Heather Hair & Bruce Wilkinson