“Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation, by prayer and petition and with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6 NIV
Six o’clock am.
I reluctantly exited by bedroom. Wearing yoga pants, fleece top, and sneakers I appeared ready for my morning run.
But inwardly I groaned.
She had already spied me. Several months ago, our new puppy was the epitome of exurberance in the morning. Every morning.
Before I would complete my descent, she was bounding up the stairs, biting playfully at my flapping boot-cut pants and pouncing on me, threatening to topple me down the stairs.
Eyeing her energy, anxiety filled my mind. Lord, how is this going to work when school’s in session? It’s easy to take her running first thing right now, but this autumn?
All summer I agonized how I would handle her morning routine when school began. With one daughter leaving at 6:45, and another leaving by 7:10, that precious puppy would need to wait to walk until after those girls had gone.
What would she be like until then? Would she burst around the house like a shark in a feeding frenzy? And would she ever stop that puppy nipping? We haven’t even hit teething time yet!
Concerns flooded my mind as I tried to just enjoy this sweet girl who was growing by the hour.
But as time marched on toward that red circle on the August calendar, amazing things were happening.
Puppies mature faster than I imagined.
Within the first six weeks, her morning greeting of ‘all jaws’ stopped. Instead, she’d plop at my feet for a good belly rub, offering me lick-kisses in return.
By the time we needed to implement our school morning routine, that puppy had almost tripled in size, but did not need to rush out for exercise first thing. She contentedly snacked on breakfast, happily abstaining from the frantic fray as girls rushed around her.
I didn’t know much about dogs when she arrived. It’s comical now when I reflect back on my concerns. I did not see the whole picture.
But God did.
He knew I needn’t worry. Had I applied Philippians 4:6 to even this seemingly simple scenario, I would have saved myself significant stress.
Thankfully, I have a very cute sweetheart greeting me every morning to remind me fears are hardly ever realized.
And when we do get outside?
I utilize some of those moments for prayer.
Prayers of petition.
Prayers of thanksgiving. Thankful that God uses seemingly simply daily moments to teach me. He really does care about every thing!
Reflections:
What concerns cause me anxiety?
How can I implement giving them to God?
What can I recall and/or do when my mind fights to retrieve them?
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You that I have a high priest who knows the experience of fear. Not only does He know anxiety, He provides the way out from under it. Please help me to recall that truth and the promise that I can, indeed I should, bring each and every daily concern to You. Thank You for loving me so much! Amen.
Thanks for reading! Please return by Monday, August 24 for the next post!