Feeling Weak?

 

If you have been on social media, you may have seen a set of questions posted by someone you know where you answered questions about them etc....  The one I remember seeing was for parents, and having your child answer questions about what they knew about you etc...  A few years ago I remember having my kids doing it separately, and posting their answers.  It was both eye opening and comical.  I recall my youngest saying that she thought (at the time) that my age was 28.  Of course I laughed at this, but my oldest daughter, who was like 16 at the time, became logically irritated and told her younger sister to "do the math".  She said "If mom was 28 and I am 16....how old do you think she was when she had ME?".....my youngest responded with an "Oh!"  Personally I just laughed and was glad for the compliment on my age. ha ha.  When my oldest daughter had answered the questions, one in particular took me back.  The question was, "What to you admire most about your mom?"  Her response was "She is physically and mentally one of the strongest people I know".  I'm not gonna lie, I was very taken back by that.  Why?  Because I do not feel strong on most days.  I actually, often, feel very weak on most days.  When I asked her about it, she said to me "Because you never give up".  Still I was taken back by her answer, but was thankful for her response.  I guess I was glad that she saw things that way.
This morning I was reading a devotional and it reminded me about the above memory.  I couldn't tell you the other answers that my oldest answered in those silly surveys a few years back, but the ones mentioned, I do remember.  
This morning I read about Paul. (2 Corinthians 11:25-27).  Paul was a beast!!  Paul was tough, bold and fierce.  He endured many persecutions.  "There were times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and day in open sea, I have been constantly on the move.  I have been in danger from rivers, bandits, and my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles,; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.  I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked."
See, Paul was a beast.  Who else could endure that kind of persecution and still be standing?  Even with his physical and mental strength however, Paul still considered himself weak.
It turns out that Paul wasn't much different that you and I.    He put on a good front.  Paul tried to maintain a positive attitude.  However the worries and terrors Paul endeavored, could even overwhelm him. Still, he pressed on in a bold, confident and courageous manor because he understood that his weakness was the best platform for Gods strength to shine.  (2 Corinthians 12:10)
    I have always been taught to be self sufficient.  My mom is an amazing Godly woman who had to walk through some of her own challenges in life.  I watched her do it with strength and trust in God.  She taught me to work hard for what I wanted.  She taught me to stand for what I believe in.  She taught me to protect those I love and to treat others how you want to be treated.  She taught me to own my mistakes, to pick myself up when I fail and move forward.  All of those are excellent things to teach, and they have served me well.  Where I have often missed it however is forgetting that God is part of that equation.  I feel like I just heard "gasps" around the room - calm down.  Lets be real for a moment.  I think in our own focus sometimes of working hard, pushing to be our best selves, we often can come to rely on "self" in moments at a time.  If you are going to tell me that you have never done that, you need to go repent right now because its simply not true, we have all been there. Its not that I forgot about God being a part, its that my focus was doing the best "I" could do...not a bad thing, just a bit off.  I need to remember that I can do ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME. (Philippians 4:13)
Self-sufficiency displays nothing of God's power.  Dependency however, sets the stage for strength to shine through.  Weakness allows the glory of God to move in our lives. This is how Paul endured.
Paul believed that Gods strength would not fail him.  Despite what you may have heard, God doesn't shake His head at us when we fail in this area.  When we deal with fear, worry and failure, He is not disappointed and ashamed of us, He sees a man or woman who is dependent on His strength to come in and save the day.  How do we do this (like Paul)?  By choosing to believe it even when we don't feel it.
As I pondered my daughters "strength" response again this morning as I was doing my devotions, I was reminded and it sobered up my thoughts on how I was feeling.....  WEAK, but banking on God to show up....I had almost forgotten. 
 When students in my class reply with excuses like "but, but, but", my reply is often "butts stink, I don't want to hear a BUT from you".  They always laugh, but it clearly gets the point across.  In the phrase above however "WEAK, but banking on God to show up" the "BUT" in that is key!!!  Strength isn't stamina.  It's refusing to quit when you have none.  
I have a dear dear friend, an evangelist, Kent Fishel, who I have known since I was a pre-teen.  I remember him saying this phrase over and over in my head. "A Christian is someone who gets up one more time than he or she falls down."  I have used that saying as a reminder many times in my life, but I would like to add one more thing to it.  "A Christian is someone who gets up one more time than he or she falls down, by grasping the hand of Jesus who is reaching out for them".
We are not self-sufficient.  We must become Jesus dependent.  Day after weary day.
   I still remember my best friends loving but direct words ringing in my ears over a year ago when I was struggling and felt incredibly weak.  He said "Lets see Jen, how many times has God failed you...hhhmmm...none, that's right, so why would it be different now!!!?"
No matter what is sapping your strength or causing you to curl up into fetal position...turn your attention away from circumstances, from what you lack into what He can give.  
     A few weeks ago my dear friend Taylor sang the song "You Say" at the end of our church service.  I have heard this song a million times.  Taylor and I are close, she knows me well.  She knows my heart, our souls are connected, and some how always has seen it clearly...the tender, weak mess that it sometimes is, she knows my deepest desire is to be all that God has called me to be, and sometimes its just hard as I fight through lies that the enemy placed in my head over the years.  When she sang this song, the same song I have heard a million times, I WEPT.  I wept all the way through it.  I have asked myself why, but the truth is because she knows me, and God used her to slap me upside the head.  I was feeling weak, I was believing lies the enemy was throwing at me because that is what he likes to do.  I knew the truth but I was relying on my own "self-sufficiency" to pull me through....It wasn't working. DUH!  It was in this moment as she sang this song that God was saying to me "HELLO, remember me?!    Right after she was done singing, it was only a few minutes later that my best friend also said to me "We've got you" without me having to utter a word. 
Even when we cant remember because life gets blurry sometimes, God will send people or reminders to let you know that your strength is in HIM, in HIS word, His promises, that you are not alone.
When you are feeling ill-equipped, overwhelmed, and weak, Gods grace, God strength, is sufficient for you.  Believe that His strength will not fail. 

All Gods Promises

        Back in May, my family and I traveled to a small town in Ohio that borders on the shores of Lake Erie.  The purpose of the trip was to, not only take time with my own family and best friends family but, to rest, relax, and regroup.  Much time was spent in nature while we were there and I would have had it no other way.  If you know me at all, you know that I am an avid shell collector.  I have collected shells from the ocean and from other Great Lakes, but this would be a first to look for them on Lake Erie.  I had asked my best friend, who is from that area, if he thought I would find a shell.  He assured me he thought I might.  The 4 days that we were there, we spent much time searching, but all we saw were rocks.  Don't think for one second I didnt give him a hard time about it - ha ha.   At first I was disappointed, but then I became intrigued by the rocks.  There were rocks of all types and sizes, but the cool thing was that they all seemed to be smooth and flat.  One beach we were at they were EVERYWHERE.  It may seem silly, but one of my favorite moments on that beach was of my husband.  He is NOT a beach goer.  He does not love being at the beach, but that day he humored all of us and went without complaint.  I was truly blessed by it when I watched him patiently helping our 12 year old daughter pick up "cool" rocks to add to her bag.  He happily and patiently helped her pick up more rocks than she had business collecting in her, ready to burst bag.
The day before this we had been blessed to spend the day with my best friend and his family.  We laughed hard, we ate, we hiked, took pictures, laughed and ate more.  As the day was spent in various conversations and stories of reflection, both funny and sentimental,  I remember the thankfulness that arose, and overwhelming sense of gratitude for "family" that overcame me. Thankful for where I've been and where God was taking us.   I've always been thankful for my family, both blood and not of blood, that I have been blessed with. However, on this day as I looked in the eyes of everyone that surrounded me and listened to their words, I really felt it in my heart the importance of family bonds and what matters.  It reminded me of the importance of love and loyalty, respect and memories etc.... 
Personally my family has had some challenges over the last couple years. This particular weekend it had been exactly one year earlier that I was offered a new job, which was a new beginning of many things of tangible evidence of God moving in our lives. It was after that I watched God work out many challenges we had been faced with in our favor throughout the year.   In our impatient human ways, we become frustrated when God doesn't move as fast as we want Him to. I'm not going to lie...it was a LONG ROAD...  However, his timing is always perfect and He has never failed me, not once.
      As my family and I spent time and walked along the beach collecting rocks the day after we'd been with my best friends family, I thought about the story of Joshua who was leading the 12 tribes of Israel into the Promise Land (Joshua 4:19-24).  After the exit from Egypt, wandering through the wilderness and then crossing the Jordan River, Joshua told each tribe to pull a stone from the Jordan River to start to build an altar on the west side of the river.  This stack of stones was to be a reminder to the people that God had led them safely on their journey.  
As we walked along the beach, and I saw all the large smooth stackable stones, I decided that I wanted to make a miniature of the same reminder Joshua had asked the tribes to do.
(The photo of the one I made you see above.)  To me, and to my family, it is a reminder of where we have walked.  Its a reminder of when we couldn't walk, God carried us, but we got there.  It was a reminder that even though there were bumps in the road, tears shed, and we weren't sure how we would be delivered from the things we faced...that God had us.  It is still a reminder that when challenges arise, and they still do, to remember His promises to us.  It may look different than what we imagined it would, but God restores what the enemy has stolen and will continue to do so. I am trusting in that.
In the morning I have a specific chair I sit at in the dining room to pray, and meditate on the Word of God. This stack of stones sits near there as a constant reminder.  Today I needed that reminder and I was glad I had it.  I may not have found one stinkin' shell on the beach of Lake Erie, but I sure did find a treasure that will continue to serve as a reminder of the beautiful memories made that weekend, and the beautiful promises of my God that will last forever.

Stand and Fight

    Being a daughter of an officer and having a brother as a chief of police, I was glad when states finally passed laws protecting officers when they have someone pulled over. In other words, if an officer has someone pulled over to the right, we must move into the far lane instead of passing right next to the pulled over cars. I watched someone yesterday blow by an officer doing his job, not adhering to that law,.......and they got away with it.  A law doesn’t do much good if we don’t follow it, especially when its meant to protect.

   It works the same way in the word of God.  We have been given great and precious promises through the blood of Jesus Christ, however, if we fail to enforce that word, it may as well not be a promise at all.

If we do not enforce it, stand in faith for it, we will probably never see it.

2 Peter 1:3 says; God has given us EVERYTHING that we need for life.

1 Peter 2:24 says; we are healed by the strips of Jesus.

2 Corinthians 8:9 says; we are made rich because He (Jesus) became poor for us.

These are just a few of the promises of God. They are ours! They belong to us now. Not sometime in the future.... NOW! However, if we don't stand firm on those promises and contend for them, we may never see them in our life.

     I'm currently reading the book “The Last Arrow”. Its exceptional, and I've plowed through 150 pages in 2 days, and to be honest, I don't love to sit and read. 

There was a phrase in it that I read last night that hit me between the eyes:

“You need to decide to stop running in fear and turn around and fight the good fight. You need to decide who you are and what you are about, why you live and what you are willing to die for. Until you decide to stand your ground you are like a leaf blowing in the wind. You will see yourself as a victim of circumstance, or even worse, a victim of Gods cruelty.”

This made me think of 2 Timothy 1:7;

“For God does not give us the spirit of fear, but one of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

     Back in January I remember a church service of watching my friend Becki lead worship.  She is ridiculously talented, and it always brings me such joy just to watch her walk in her gifts. I could not tell you what she was singing for worship, I can just tell you that in the midst of my own worship, I felt a release to "move forward" in my life. To this day I cannot explain fully what exactly "happened", I just know God wanted me to press into him and move forward out of fear, and further into freedom.

   Still, I sat on that for awhile, making sure I didn’t misunderstand, and to be honest....giving God a chance to change his mind and check Himself if He was sure that is what HE wanted.  I can hear some of you gasping...go right ahead.  I know that is funny, or even appalling, depending on how you decide to look at it. Seriously, to ask God "Are you sure?!", but that is how fear works....I wanted to give Him an "out"  ha ha.

    A few weeks later, I sat with my dear friend Taylor, out to breakfast.  Taylor has known my struggle with fear. We have this amazing kindred spirit relationship.  She has patiently waited for me to get to the moment I was about to reveal to her.  Even up to the second it came out of my mouth I said to God, "Are you sure?!"    ......(Silence). 

It was almost as if I could picture Him looking at me, arms folded, giving me the look like, "Really Hock?!"

When I finally got over myself and shared with Taylor that I was ready to stare fear in the face and move past it into what God wanted to use me for, she was over joyed. 

Part of that was auditioning for the worship team, which she had asked me to consider over a year ago prior.  

 In other words, instead of hanging out and playing patty cake with fear..... I am going to stare it long and hard in the face, move past it, and I am gonna instead take God up on His offer of "power, love and sound mind".  

Its interesting how much God can ACTUALLY use us when we abide by His promises and stop letting fear blow us around like that leaf in the wind. Its a continual growth process of holding every thought captive.

However, again, His promises only work when we abide by them.  Since that moment I have watched God open doors that fear had once stolen in my life with both singing and speaking....both things I know are part of my calling in the race He has me on.  

    His promises are there for protection, so that we can walk in the life of freedom He has intended for us all along.

 I will end with this quote from The Last Arrow ;

"If people have never known fear, they have never had a need for courage."

Let me encourage you to find enough courage to look fear in face and trust that God's promises are for you too, so you can walk in the life of freedom He has always intended for you.

Not Everything We Face Can Be Changed........BUT.....

     Its been an interesting weekend.  I found myself Saturday night so heavy hearted that I text a couple girlfriends and asked them to pray.  It felt like depression trying to sneak up on me, yet I didn't understand the heaviness.  I felt it was an attack, because I know what those feel like, but it seemed out of the blue and made no sense.  My last thought I remember before falling asleep was the reminder of the verse that we do not fight against flesh and blood (Ephesians 16:2). I remember feeling, that "tired" feeling, where you begin to question your worth and why we are even fighting, is it worth it - complete lies of the enemy...I felt weary, not seeing clearly...but deep inside me is a fighter.  At some point I fell asleep.  When I woke my head was clear.  I had been in prayer much of the day yesterday for someone close to my heart, and also for my family. The heaviness from the night before now made sense.  It was a war raging...the enemy was mad, but I just felt something was on the horizon. I am, by Gods doing, a fierce protector, a fighter for those closest to me. I've been believing for break through for those closest to my heart. My weary heart is trying to hard to keep standing on it...but some days when you see those you love hurting, it's just flat out hard....but the fight is still in me.  
    Today, not scheduled for worship team this weekend, I stood in my seat at church this morning, watching my teammates use their God given talents for worship...something that absolutely blesses my soul.  They sang a song that we will also be singing in a couple weeks called Great Things.  I have been practicing my harmony, I know it well, but today it hit me....something different I picked up in the words after feeling such incredible heaviness the night before. 

"We dance in your freedom awake and alive, O Jesus our Savior your Name lifted High, you have done great things.  You've been faithful through every storm, You'll be faithful forever more, you have done great things. And I know you will do it again, for your promise is yes and amen, you will do great things, God you do great things...…."

As I sang those words it hit me.  I have prayed a TON.  I have begged God to move mountains, change and soften hearts and change situations for those I love.  As I stood with my hands held high in praise today, it hit me between the eyes....my praise needs to equal my prayer. Prayer is indeed important, God hears our prayers, yet He inhabits our praise.  Every time I feel heaviness, sadness, helplessness, when my heart aches for those I love...instead of praying now, I need to praise .  
When Paul and Silas were in the prison, they prayed, but it was when they praised...that is when the doors opened.  Where God dwells, His promises manifest.  When God shows up, things change. When God is present, the enemy flees and Gods word manifests right before our eyes...we see this time and time again in the Bible.

Have you taken time to praise God for your breakthrough?  Its tough...especially when you do not feel like it.  When things are heavy, when it feels like your are drowning or facing a wall or trying to dig yourself out of a pit. (preachin' at myself).  When life is confusing and blurry and you are desperately trying to focus.....praise.  To do this means we have to get over ourselves physically and mentally....look past the circumstances. The water threatening to drown us and tickling our nose hairs, threatening to take us under.....PRAISE.  It is flat out hard, but we have to make a choice to rejoice.
It makes no sense in human form to praise prior to seeing it manifest, but what hit me today is that He has NEVER failed, we have to praise despite the pain, despite the fact that we cant see.  We need to "dance in His freedom awake and alive, oh Jesus our Savior Your Name lifted High, you have done great things."  

The walls of Jericho came down with a praise.  As I stood with my family today praising God, I felt Him call us to more of it.  
That my praise should equal my prayers!!!

   Dr. Bob preached today and made a statement; "Not everything you face can be changed; but nothing can be changed until you face it."  That was confirmation to me...to do what I can do.  I can praise in the storm, despite the pain, the hurt...the worry.
When we were about to leave, the worship team sang another song and the bridge was a great reminder. 
"You who holds the stars, and call them each by name, will surely keep your promise to me, that I will rise in your victory".

He calls us by name...we are HIS.  Its a different perspective when we remember the God inhabits our praises and it is surely an atmosphere changer.  "Not everything we face can be changed, but nothing can be changed unless we face it"....lets also face it with our praise and see how God moves. As much as you pray....praise.
Blessings.

Pure Worship = Medicine For The Soul

   While studying Gods Word today, He brought to mind a worship memory I had, where He used worship to pull me from a "pit".  I also came across some interesting facts about singing. 
As I studied, I was also reminded of how we learn things in school sometimes, with song.  We used singing to learn the alphabet, our states, and even the constitution.  For all your School House Rock fans from back in the day...remember learning about verbs, nouns, interjections etc.... from all those great School House Rock cartoons and songs.  I can still sing many of them by heart.   Singing sure does something powerful doesn't it?  Its a great tool for our memory. I often find myself in my own classroom, sing-songing to my kids to get across a point I want them to remember.
     Deuteronomy 31 tells us of a time when God told His people to write a song so that they could remember a particular time.
Colossians 3:16 says "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly with all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Twice we are commanded to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. One reason is, singing develops remembering.
God doesn't only tell us to praise Him, but to sing His praises.  There is power in our song!  There is power in worship!

I am reminded of a time several months ago, when I was praying for my best friend over a situation.  When I was done praying, the Lord brought to mind a song I remember learning and singing as a kid. "My God is so BIG, so STRONG and so MIGHTY, there's NOTHING my GOD cannot do!"  I had not thought of that song in years...but BAM, there it was.  I shared that moment with my friend and I remember him telling me that it made Him smile and gave peace, as it was a good reminder of who our God is. ;)

Psalm 96:1  Sing to the Lord a new song!  Sing to the Lord, all the earth.

     The science geek in me who loves and has a degree in health, loved to think about what it does to the body chemistry.  Researchers have discovered that singing is like a tranquilizer, the kind that both soothes your nerves and elevates your spirits. 
That peaceful feeling may come from endorphins, a hormone released by singing, which is associated with feelings of pleasure. Or it might be from oxytocin, another hormone released during singing. This hormone has been found to alleviate anxiety and stress. It also enhances feelings of trust. In other words, singing reduces depression and lifts our spirits! And it helps us trust. Could this be another reason God tells us to sing?
Furthermore, the benefits of singing regularly seem to be cumulative. People who sing often have lower stress levels. They have better heart rates. Studies have shown that singing, and group singing, relieves anxiety and adds to our quality of life. That alone is reason to sing.  
Lets, however, look at it on a deeper level. How much more healing would it be to WORSHIP!!? 

  Anyone who knows my heart, even a little bit, KNOWS that I am crazy about worship.  There are so many ways people look at worship, but let me clarify one thing.  Worship is not just merely singing. Worship is something that truly comes from the heart and its a reflection of what is truly in the heart.  To sing is not always done in worship.  Some people will attempt to worship with the heart agenda of proving who THEY are.  Worship is not about proving who YOU are, it's completely 100% about proving who GOD is.  If the agenda is anything different, its not pure worship...its just singing. 

I am reminded of the many times I have found myself in a stressful situation. I am always drawn to worship. I used to think it was my way of holding on to my peace. I am finding out, it was not my way at all. It was Gods way, all along. He was and is helping me to maintain peace in stressful situations,with the power of song, the power of WORSHIP! More and more we see scientist discovering what God has known all along.   

Worship is beneficial to us. Worship helps our faith. It helps our heart. It aids in healing. It helps us remember His Word, and His promises, and that He holds us in the palm of His hand. Worship is powerful. Today, sing to the Lord a new song!

  My beautiful and close friend Taylor, doing what God has gifted her to do in leading pure worship.

How Do You Leave People?

     I was at a soccer game this weekend and during the game, I heard a group of students making fun of a player from another school.  They were shouting to him every time he came near by yelling his number and then yelling things to put him down.  He, literally, was not doing anything but playing the game. This is something that makes me so angry, especially as a coach when I hear such unsportsmanlike behavior, I felt myself becoming enraged inside the more it continued.  I finally, not being able to take any more, turned around to these students and said "Do you feel bigger now?  That was the goal wasn't it?"  As the words left my mouth, I began wondering if I had lost my mind...I mean seriously it could have ended up very ugly...and was I prepared for that? NOPE! But the words had already left my heart and came straight from my mouth.  I am happy to say that they actually stopped without another word said. I was shocked, and my mood shifted to more irritated simply because I don't understand how people can be so hateful. 
 I was already wondering why I was at the cold rainy game.  I didn't feel like my presence was needed there, feeling like it was pointless, like I was pointless, but God had told me to go and I wanted to be obedient. Im not going to lie, I questioned it.
 There are a couple kids on one of the teams that I am close to, I have known since they were in 5th grade, and I wanted to see play.  After a very close game, being tied most of the game, the team I went to see lost in the end.  It was heart wrenching for them.  When the boys came off the field, the two boys separately at different times came directly to me first in the crowd, I was surprised they each spotted me so easily.  They were crying hard and they threw their arms around me for comfort, words of encouragement and reassurance.  I was speechless inside, but spoke my heart to each of them differently looking them in the eye.  It was in that moment I understood my purpose...the importance of me being there was in that very specific moment.... in those words of affirmation that evidently were needed.  Another parent tapped me on the back after the second embrace and the wiping of tears and said "I'm so glad you are here".  I have never seen this woman in my life to my knowledge, so I just smiled for lack of knowing even what to say.  I literally walked out directly to my car and left and went home.  My heart was heavy.
I am not sharing any of this for accolades.  I am not in need of praise or pats on the back for any of it, that is not my point.  I only share this because of the importance of being obedient to what God asks, even when, especially when it doesn't make sense to our human minds.  Our job on this earth may be unclear at times.  We may know our callings or we may not have yet discovered it.  Regardless of your calling and whether you recognize what it is, there is one thing that is clear to me, its not as complicated as we make it out to be.....simply...we are to love, speak truth to, and defend people like Jesus.  We are to leave people better than you found them.  We are to hug the hurt, kiss the broken, befriend the lost, and love the lonely.  EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. PERIOD.  
Philippians 2:3-4  Do nothing out of self ambition or out of vain conceit.  Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

The Struggle

     It seemed like the day I turned 40 my eyes decided to rebel.  I struggled more and more with reading things.  I went to the eye doctor thinking that, over all, my eyes or contact prescription had changed but the eye doctor said my prescription really had not.  He said to me "you just need a pair of reading glasses".  Inside I gasped, but I already had kind of known that this was the answer,  just didn't want to admit it.  He told me that I could just easily go to a store and pick up a pair of the weakest prescription they had and that should do the trick.  I really didn't want to, but eventually I caved.  Now I am much older and I pretty much have a pair in every room of my house, including my purse and at work in my desk.  I only seem to need them when I read or am working on the computer.  I can get away without them, but I have come to the conclusion of "why struggle?".  The battle was really with my admittance that I needed to wear them.  I have contacts because I don't like things on my face, but I also don't like how I look in glasses.  The battle was admitting that I needed them to make my life easier and getting over myself.  As I think about it, again the Lord used this to speak to my heart.  I laughed out loud because He just knows me so well and clearly how my mind thinks.
     It seems that when something is going on in our lives, where we know we are struggling, we either don't want to admit the struggle, admit we need help, or we don't want to release the struggle to actually receive the help, and maybe we are afraid of how we might look if we admit that there is a struggle.
What is going on in your life that you need to release to God?  You know you are struggling, but you are either afraid of admitting the struggle, asking for help, or we are just afraid to let go of it fully.
1 Peter 5:7 comes to mind where He tells us literally, to cast all our cares upon Him because He cares for us.
Then remembering that Ephesians 3:20 and that He is able to more that we could ever ask or think of in our lives.
Then lets not forget that He knows the plans He has for us.  He has plans to prosper and not to harm us, and one to give us a hope and a future in Jeremiah 29:11.
Also on of my favorites; Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.

We also need to remember that in our weaknesses He is strong.  I think that so often we forget that.  Our lives become so much easier when we allow Him to fight battles for us.  When we release our cares, be still, and allow Him to do a work because His grace is sufficient for us. Trust Him.

2 Corinthians 12:9

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My 

strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I 

will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ 

may rest upon me.