When I started reading this chapter, I thought it would be an easy and quick read because I really didn't think I had a problem with worrying...well I discovered things to the contrary. I don't necessarily worry about huge issues, I tend to worry more about things in the past or things that don't really carry much significance, yikes! At the beginning of the chapter Mrs. Weaver talks about worry beads and trying to solve the rubix cube. Since I believed it was impossible for me, I never even tried to solve it...much like dealing with worry issues.
We talked about the manifestations of worry: biting nails, pacing floor, wringing hands, not sleeping, tense or sore stiff muscles and upset stomach to name a few. We also talked about synonyms of worry (might as well get it all out on the table to look at) such as anxiety, fretting, fear and frustration.
We discussed Martha's possible reactions when Jesus told her she was worried about many things. I think sometimes God doesn't fill in all the blanks because we all react differently which makes it easier for us to put ourselves in Martha's sandals.
We spent the bulk of our time in the following scriptures looking at the command given, the results and then what we saying to God if we choose not to follow the directives given. These are the scriptures we looked at: I Peter 5:7, Proverbs 3:5,6, Psalm 37:8,9, Matthew 6:25-34 and Philippians 4:6-7.
We started discussing how to deal with our worry though that will also be the topic of chapter 4. I was amazed of the illustration given of the fog and how little water is required to produce such a large area of dense fog. It gives "making a mountain out of a molehill" new meaning.
Towards the end we revisited Philippians 4:6-8 and looked at it's specific directions while we walked through a hypothetical situation to counsel someone (me in this situation) struggling with an anxious situation. The specific directives are: 1. Be anxious about nothing. 2. Pray about everything. 3. Be thankful for all things. 4. Think about things that are noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy.
We closed looking at a solved Rubik cube. My son is a whiz at putting one back to perfect order and as I've learned from him, there are specific instructions or equations for solving it. He can actually "fix" one in about 2 minutes. It got me thinking...while not easy to learn, God has also given us His "fix" or equation to deal with the worry monsters in our lives...follow the directives in the previous paragraph from Philippians. Now that we have some instructions I guess the challenge is learning them and then putting them into practice. I'd love to hear how God is working in your life through this study...why don't you post a comment on the blog?!
1 comment:
The thing that stood out to me is that you can't worry and worship at the same time.
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