HOW TO WIN AGAINST ANXIETY
A GUEST BLOG BY AMY WHITLOCK
”The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.”
Psalm 121:8
Anxiety is defined as a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.
If I could summarize a mutual, underlying tone in most folks lately, it’s anxiety. I have seen it more often in my own personal walk and even within the women in my close circle. We want to fix it all for the husband, the kiddo(s), our parent(s), our friends. In the recent year, I’m sure most people have experienced this on an even deeper level.
A year ago, we all felt it—an impending doom that would awaken our deepest anxieties and uncertainties. I refer to this as The Season of Covid. We all longed for a tangible handshake, a hug, and still today we imagine another’s beautiful smile behind their mask. We ponder the outcome of the economy. We’ve watched our nation burn and crumble. We’ve wept at the closing of churches across the nation. We’ve witnessed the news reports and watched as bodies by the hundreds were buried. We’ve waded through what is science and what is political. Within our own homes we adjusted and readjusted to accommodate caution for our loved ones, and as homeschooling became the mainstream across the nation, we watched our children learn to embrace a new normal.
There came a time I finally had to turn off the news, and I deleted all my news apps. My anxiety over all that Covid could entail was affecting my every mood, every move, and even my motivation. We have a child on immune suppressant therapies, and you can imagine the heart sink as we constantly heard, “….shelter in place, especially those immune compromised.” I had to turn to THE ONE Who already knew the outcome. The Lord said He’s the same yesterday, today, forever. My surroundings and circumstances were in a swirl of change, but He was and is a constant, steady companion. My trust roots had to dig deep and grow stronger, and I had to hold fast to His unseen hand.
If anxiety is controlling your motivations, your well doing, your living, rescue your heart and mind with the Word of God! Memorize the precious Word, and as events of life come your way, God will bring to mind that hidden Word and restore order in your hurried heart. Fill your day with encouraging podcasts or Bible preaching and teaching. I replaced my news app with the Moody Broadcasting Station app. Replace the cause of the anxiety with a positive. Cause and effect go both ways!
The most important thing I have embraced over the years is to pray without ceasing. Pray over the dishes, the steaming pot, the laundry basket. Pray while driving, resting, jogging, kneeling, standing. Just pray. When you pray without ceasing, you are keeping your heart bowed towards God. As this becomes a way of life, the Spirit will sweep in and carry you through the anxiety of this life.
Lamentations 3:23 says the Lord’s mercies are made new every morning. As the sun rose every morning in 2020 upon another “what if,” I was gently reminded by God the Father that it was rising with new mercies—enough mercies to carry me, you, this whole nation through 2021. And just a side note, it’s always morning somewhere. We have access to a continuous flow of mercy! Praise the Lord.
No matter where we are in our ebb and flow, God is on the other side of this, and we can trust Him with our incoming and outgoing tides.
Amy Whitlock is a homeschool mother of four. She studied Family Herbalism through Naturally Healthy and stays busy running a household full of boys, two of whom have special needs (autism and autoimmune disease). She and her husband also have one, ever-so-sweet grandson. They revel in this new role and have discovered that grandparenting is lots of fun.
Drinking a piping hot cup of coffee, reading, and conducting research are a few of the activities that Amy enjoys. She also loves to write and encourage women as they wade through their own ebb and flow of life.
“Tell it to God! He already knows it. He just wants to hear it from you. He wants your fellowship” is Amy’s motto. She is currently working on her first book with West Bow Press, publishes short guest articles on blogs, and works on other forms of article submissions.
You can find Amy Whitlock on Facebook and on Instagram (NewMerciesFound) or on her website, amywhitlock.com, which is currently under construction.