Are you fasting for spiritual wellness during Lent this year? This year I’m giving up sugar, which is one of my favorite go-to items for comfort and pleasure. It sometimes gets in the way of my relationship with God, and I want to give it up this Lent to get closer to him.
I am thrilled that my friend Jill Hoven hosted me as a guest post writer for her blog Follow His Footprints this week. Here is a peek at my post, and I hope you’ll head over to read the rest.
Patience, you slay me
with your silence.
No answers, no exit, no relief
for months.
Yet every day you sit beside me
as we watch the sun rise again.
When was the last time a real threat triggered your anxiety?
Yesterday I faced a tense situation at work. I had to keep my emotions in check to remain professional. Yet my anxiety churned inside and I had a hard time keeping myself under control. I was edgy, quiet, and humorless. I’m sure my smiles looked forced.
After the situation was resolved, my pent-up anxiety leaked out in weird ways. I felt inexplicably grouchy for almost an hour. I got a little snappy, and I withdrew into a small project where I could block everything out. During this hour of leaky anxiety, I didn’t really feel in control of myself. My emotions were overriding my normal calm, composed demeanor in ways I didn’t understand, but I couldn’t stop.
Years ago, I faced a difficult work situation which regularly brought me to tears. I tried hard to finish out my contract with strength and faith, but the trials often got to me. I looked for ways to cope.
On the way to my weekly meetings, I popped in Mandisa’s True Beauty CD. Hearing her up-tempo rendition of “Nothin’s Gonna Steal My Joy” always boosted my spirits. In the song’s bridge, Mandisa’s powerful soprano soars to mountain heights. Her mighty high note brought me right to the feet of God’s throne.
Somewhere inside, is your heart closed off in apathy, no longer able to love?
Even though I want to love the way Jesus loved, openly and freely, I confess my heart is closed off in a specific area.