The Worry-Free Mom Zone

Do you know what it’s like to lie awake at night worrying about your child who hasn’t come home? Do you worry about your child’s health, or choice of friends, or the fact that he isn’t interested in church anymore or seems to be living his way, not God’s?

If you know what it’s like to worry, then you’re like every mom. You need peace—and lots of it! The good news is that state of calm and absence of anxiety is absolutely attainable. It’s right there—in abundance—in God’s storehouse of blessings. But most of the time you and I pass over it and choose stress instead.

God never designed you and me to be moms who worry—women who pull out our hair trying to control our circumstances. He never intended us to be moms who are weighted down with worry and who stress instead of sleep. He designed us, instead, to rest in Him and His ability to take care of all that He has entrusted us with.

As I was writing my book, Ten Secrets to Becoming a Worry-Free Mom, it occurred to me that I long for peace—that assurance that God has everything in complete control. But so often, I ignore the peace that God is offering me and I try to work things out myself.

Yet Scripture clearly commands us to not worry and instead to pray. Philippians 4:6-7 says: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (NKJV).

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the next two verses tell us how to not worry: “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8-9, NASB).

In those four verses, God gives us the complete formula for eliminating worry and experiencing His peace:

1. Don’t worry about anything. (It’s a choice. Choose not to worry.)
2. Pray about everything. (It’s a command. Just do it!)
3. Fix your thoughts on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and of good repute.(God is very specific about what we are to fix our brains on so they don’t wander around with negative, fearful thoughts.)
4. Experience God’s peace. (As a result of the first three steps, God’s presence will be with you.)

Do you realize that most of our anxiety and worry comes because we are not taking the last two steps in that four-step process? We are failing to fix our thoughts on what is true and pure and lovely. We so often, instead, dwell on the negative possibilities, the worst that could happen, and the scary “what if?” The Bible clearly tells us that is not the route to peace.

To dwell on what is true is to focus on the reality of a situation, not the possibility or supposed danger of the situation. And fixing your thoughts on what is honorable, right, pure, and lovely is to focus on God and His character.

So the next time you haven’t heard from your child for several hours don’t focus on your fear of what might be happening to that child. Think, instead, on the character of God and the fact that nothing is outside His knowledge and ability to control. The next time you are awaiting a doctor’s diagnosis, don’t think of the very worst that could happen, but think of the Great Physician who will not let anything touch you—or your child—that hasn’t first passed through His loving hands.

When you and I worry, we are assuming God doesn’t know, He doesn’t care, or He doesn’t have the resources. When we replace our worry with trust we are saying “I don’t know what’s going on, but You do, God, and I thank You for that.”

What if you had that kind of confidence each time your child ran a fever, wasn’t home on time, or didn’t tell you what was going on in her life?

God knows that when you can display that kind of assurance and trust in Him, you will have come to know Him in such a way that nothing shakes you. He wants you to experience that kind of peace…a peace made possible by the Unshakable, Immovable, and Ever-Stable God. He wants you to know Him more deeply, and trust Him in a way that you never have before. To turn your children over to Him and trust that they’re in His loving, capable hands is one of the most practical ways to show God that you trust Him with your whole heart.

Cindi McMenamin is a national speaker and award-winning author of 15 books including her newest release, 10 Secrets to Becoming a Worry-Free Mom (Harvest House Publishers). For more on her books and free resources to strengthen your soul, marriage, and parenting, see her website www.StrengthForTheSoul.com.