Tag Archives: anxiety and depression

Are You Waiting for Spring?

waiting-for-spring

I’m sitting on my porch this morning, drinking a cup of coffee.  I’m wrapped in a blanket, and it’s breezy.  But, the signs are there, in the slightest little ways.  My little girl just brought me flowers she found by the pond.  There are birds chirping and pecking for bugs in my backyard.  The sun is warmer on my face than it has been in recent days.  And it does something to my heart.  It feels like hope. I can feel it coming, days playing outside with my little ones; the relief from months of being inside, missing activities because of one more sickness passing through.  Does it ever feel this way to you?

This spring comes at a unique time for our family as I have been on bedrest awaiting the arrival of our littlest since shortly before Christmas.  It has been a long season.  In more ways than just the weather, it has been a winter of sorts here.  It has felt dark, hard, and confining.  There has been grace in so many ways, and I am so grateful for it! But it has still been hard for our whole family.  It has been a day after day trudging through, anxiously waiting for the day when the burden is lifted, when the sun breaks through the clouds.  My son captured it well this afternoon as we were chatting and he told me “It’s just going to be great Mom.  She’s going to make all our lives better when she’s here.”  Yes she will little man, yes she will.

I’m so grateful to live in an area with seasons.  The shifting, inevitable change.  His hand over all of it is palpable.  There is no way for me to imagine that any of it happens without His control.  A beautiful song by Steven Curtis Chapman captures it so well as he sings

“Feel the sun on your skin
Growing strong and warm again
Watch the ground: there’s something moving
Something is breaking through
New life is breaking through

Spring is coming, Spring is coming
And all we’ve been hoping and longing for soon will appear”

Is your heart anxiously awaiting spring?  Physically or metaphorically?  Know that He brings it.  And nothing on this earth can stop His hand when He declares its’ impending arrival.

Finding Peace in the Storm

Finding Peace in the Storm TheBusyMom.com

Life is hard. In recent months our family and our church family has dealt with a lot. Many of you are finding yourself in the same place. Overwhelmed. Grieving. Struggling. Tired.

I wanted to share with you something that has been on my heart in the midst of these trials. This comes from a place of deep trust in the Lord and in His ways. This comes from a place of faith in the midst of struggle.

I believe that peace is possible even in the most difficult of circumstances. 

In writing more and more on my blog about depression, I have been so blessed to have conversations online with many women who reach out to me that have never talked about their struggles before. There have been those that are just waiting for God to heal them or are desperate for their life circumstances to change.

And here is the difference in the kind of peace I’m talking about, this kind of peace, the kind that surpasses all understanding, it can be found even in the most difficult of circumstances. We don’t need our circumstances to change to find peace. Because peace is a Person. His Name is Jesus. 

Sweet friends, peace is possible no matter what is going on around us because we have a living hope in Jesus.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,  who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,  so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:3-7

The Word of God is living and powerful and this passage is one of those times that I get a little excited about what we are learning.

A living hope! Did you catch that? Our hope is ALIVE, not dead. When something is alive it is still breathing, there is still a heart beat, there is still LIFE. This is the hope in us. INSIDE you and me is a living hope! This living hope is Jesus.

Friends, our hope is not in our circumstances. Our hope is not in the doctor’s report, how our spouse behaves or doesn’t behave, how our kids turn out, whether or not we get that new job, none of these things. When our hope is in these things, we will be disappointed.

But, hope in God never disappoints. He has our best interest at heart. Even though we may not like it, through the difficult circumstances He is forming us to His image. He is sanctifying, cleansing and purifying. If we can just hold onto Him through the storm, on that day when we meet Him face to face, all the tears and doubts and trials will fade away. He is preparing us for an eternity with Him and we can look forward to that day knowing that our every tear will be wiped away. No more death. No more suffering. No more sickness.

What if you’re reading this and you are thinking, that sounds great, but HOW do I find my hope and peace in Jesus and not other places?

Well, I can share some of the things that help me. I read a quote once that “hope takes practice” and I believe this to be true. {Edward Welch.} Sometimes we have to FIND joy, we have to COUNT our blessings, we have to PRACTICE hope. This isn’t a works based gospel, this is readying our hearts for the Lord to do His thing. This practicing hope is confessing and repenting and surrendering to the will of the Father. There is peace in surrender.

Finding Peace

Do not neglect the Word of God. I am so passionate about the Word of God, I share a lot about PRAYING His Word, memorizing it, meditating on it. Why? Because when our mind is fixed on Him, He fills us with His perfect peace. Isaiah 26:3

Breathe prayers. When you don’t have words because of your discouragement and suffering, just whisper breath prayers up to the Lord. All day long. “God, I need you…” “Lord, I’m desperate for You…” “God, You alone are my hope!” Speaking the gospel, even aloud, is very good for our hearts!

Don’t isolate yourself. As hard as it is, God, in His sovereignty, God gave us the Body of Christ. We were meant for relationships. Don’t stop going to church. Worship is a powerful thing. When we take our eyes off ourselves and place them onto praising Jesus, our problems begin to diminish. Also in this category would be the idea to get help if it’s needed. Don’t suffer alone. Often, in our shame, we don’t tell people we are hurting. You may even need to speak with a doctor. Don’t keep it all inside. We were made to communicate and give and receive encouragement.

Use reminders. We are human, we need reminders of God’s love and the hope He gives. Print off pretty verses, like the one below. Write on notecards and place them around your house. Set a timer on your phone to go off every hour, have it say “be thankful.” Whenever your phone alarm goes off, name 3 things you’re thankful for.

Free Scripture Printable

Just like you, I often need the reminder that CHRIST ALONE is my hope. I must stop looking in all the wrong places for my hope, my peace and my joy. He alone satisfies.

In Christ Alone TheBusyMom.com PDF

In Christ Alone TheBusyMom.com

 signature_candace

Grace for the Anxious Mama {Free Printable}

Grace for the Anxious Mama  TheBusyMom.com

A note from Heidi:
I really appreciated this post from Candace. Many moms suffer from anxiety—mine was diagnosed as “clinical” when I was twenty-one. I grew up in a home where we were always, always at “Defcon 7,” and I took my childhood anxiety with me into my adult life. I thought that being out of that environment would solve it—but by that time, fear was deeply engrained into my spirit.

This has been something I have had had to struggle with for as long as I can remember—but God has used it to teach me that He is a safe place. His Word calms anxious hearts and reminds us that fear is not from God. I love that Candace takes anxious moms back to the Word—because grace really is new there. We don’t have to live with constant fear and anxiety. God’s mercies really are new each morning.
_______

The anxious mama. Yep, that has been me more times than I’d like to admit. Worrying over silly things, worrying over big things. I didn’t use to think of myself as a worrier, but I realize I was just calling it something else, I think. My “worries” were usually fears over my kids’ futures, fears that I had ruined them, fears that I was messing up. Worry. Fear. They both go hand in hand, don’t they?

When I’m feeling anxious, the very best thing for me to do is spend some time with the Lord and in prayer.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

God tells us right here in His Word that when we are anxious and come to Him in prayer, with thanksgiving, the peace of God will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. What a gift!! Dig in to God’s Word and your heart will fill up with His peace.

10 Verses for the Anxious Mama

1. 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.”

2. Proverbs 12:25 “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.”

3. Matthew 6:25-34 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

4. Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

5. Psalm 27:1 ” The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? ”

6. Isaiah 35:4 “Say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come…”

7. Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”

8. 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…”

9. Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

10. Psalm 91

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,

nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.

A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling,

no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;

they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call on me, and I will answer him;   I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

How can these 10 verses help our anxiety?

My suggestions for you are to write these verses out on notecards and carry them with you, place one by the kitchen sink, memorize them one at a time, when you feel anxiety coming on, repeat one of them aloud, repeat it again and again. Meditate on the passage. Pray through the verse asking God for help. He will comfort you through His Word!

Print out this verse from 1 John and frame it, place it in your bathroom or by your bed as a constant reminder of His perfect love. Let this verse bless you and not condemn you. This verse doesn’t mean that if you fear you must not have the love of Jesus in you. God knows that until we meet Him face to face, we are human and in our humanness we stumble, fall and even fill with anxiety and fear. This verse gives me such hope because when I GO TO HIM, His love is perfect. I am not perfect, HE IS. For that perfect love to cleanse me, renew me, sustain me, I must be WITH Him. Spend time with Him today, dear ones, His perfect love will cast out the fear in your heart.

{Click on this PDF link OR the graphic to download your PDF and print!} 

Perfect Love Printable PDF

Perfect Love Printable

 

Praying the Scriptures

Praying the Scriptures

You’ve heard it said that the Lord can make beauty out of ashes. I’ve seen so much evidence of this truth in my own life, and I’m sure many of you have also.

When the Lord took me through the valley of depression, starting 8 years ago or so, I never quite expected what the Lord would do through those difficult seasons. There were times, hopeless times, when I didn’t expect *anything* good to come from those hard times. And honestly, I can still get caught up in looking back and dwelling on the negative if I’m not careful.

But, the Lord is slowly, but surely, changing those negative thought patterns and teaching me, one day at a time, to focus on Him, take every thought captive, to fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith. He is so faithful, friends.

Teaching me to pray the Scriptures has been one of the most transformational spiritual acts that God has used in my life.

Sweet women, the Lord loves you so and He will gently take your heart and draw you close to Him if you will let Him. He longs to bring comfort and healing and encouragement to our deepest hurts. I have felt, more tangibly, the love of God through these sweet moments with Him as I speak His Words right back to Him more than just about anything.

Praying the Scriptures isn’t some super-spiritual act that only the super-spiritual are capable of. Oh, so far from it, friends!!

Praying the Scriptures is for the desperate, like me, who often don’t have the words to speak. Praying the Scriptures is for the weak, like me, who don’t have the strength to utter a word. Praying the Scriptures is for the broken, like me, who are in desperate need of a Word from God.

Sometimes, praying the Scriptures looks like me opening my Bible to a Psalm and repeating the words right up to God. Sometimes, praying the Scriptures looks like me coming across a verse that I long to see happen in one of my children’s lives and I echo the words, “may it be so, Lord!” Sometimes, praying the Scriptures looks like tears falling onto Psalm 23 as I say, “Lord, You really are my shepherd. You have given me all I need. I am content in You. This world has nothing for me.”  Sometimes, praying the Scriptures looks like me repeating a phrase all day long so that my thoughts will stay fixed on Him, a phrase like, “I will bless You at all times, Lord…” from Psalm 34:1.

So, you see, praying the Scriptures isn’t for the strong in Christ. Praying the Scriptures is for the needy, the broken, the ones who can’t find the words to speak. Praying the Scriptures is for all of us.

Sweet busy moms, I have put together 31 Scriptures pertaining to LIGHT from God’s Word for us to pray together through the Advent season! I would love for you to join me in praying the Scriptures with my brand new ebook, Jesus, Light of the World: Praying the Scriptures through Advent.

jesuslightoftheworldadventcover_300

 signature_candace

Thank you, Robin

There’s an awful lot of noise on the Internet today about yesterday’s news.

You know: yesterday’s news. Killings in Syria. Riots in Missouri. Iraqi children dying because their parents profess faith in Jesus. Political battles. Broken marriages. Starving children. More rockets in Gaza.  And then, it came. A “push notification” on my phone from a news outlet that Robin Williams was dead at the age of 63.

I blinked and read it again before going downstairs to our office to read the news to my husband and daughter. No one said robin_williamsanything. It was hard to believe. Surely not the Robin Williams. Not Mrs. Doubtfire, surely. Not the man who made us laugh until our sides hurt and reduced us to tears in Patch. It was almost like hearing a good friend was gone. And indeed a good friend was gone. The world lost a friend yesterday.

Celebrities are like that. We feel that we know them… but we don’t. Not really. It made me think of all the people I “know” from their books and blogs and TV shows and churches. We judge and talk and speculate and write. But we don’t really “know.” Not really.

Yesterday is over now, and I’m already tired of the navel-gazing about Mr. Williams’ death. All this talk of battles with depression from people who have never actually experienced it at that level will tell you it was a “choice” as if Robin went to the store to choose what he wanted for dinner.  Where is the grace? I don’t think Robin was trying to be the poster child for depression—I think he was in a pit so deep that he could not see his way out. And when he finally gave up, the world lost a man who brought joy to millions by his transparency and desire to see us laugh with—and even at—him.

So thank you, Robin. Thank you for smiling when you felt like crying. Thank you for trying so hard. Thank you for making us laugh.  I never knew you, but I, like millions of others, will miss your gentle smile and contagious laughter. My heart is breaking for your sweet wife.

As we get back to today’s news, we’ll remember the day Robin’s light went out. I will tuck this away in my heart as a reminder that people need Jesus. We live in a nation who elected our President because we needed “Hope and Change.” We all need it, don’t we? Hope that the war in Iraq will stop. Hope that people will see the unborn for the precious lives they are. Change of heart, change of direction… and yet … hope and change will never be found apart from Jesus.

Sounds a little silly I know, but I wish I could have told Robin how infinitely loved by his Creator he was. You see, until we see ourselves through the eyes of the one who loves us best, we never really know what love looks like. And we need to know. Every single one of us.

You.Are.
Loved.
signature-heidi

Heidi St John Guide to Daylight

Feeling Anxious and Overwhelmed?

Philippians 4 @thebusymom.com

As moms, it can seem impossible to go a day without feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or worried about our families and children. I have a tendency toward depression, which lends itself to anxiety also…so for my personality it may be even more so drawn that direction. Regardless of our personalities, though, God’s Word does give us the answers to our anxiety problems.

God’s Word doesn’t give us a formula, it leads us to a relationship. There are no 3 easy steps to getting through anxiety and depression in our lives, but He gives us the grace of Himself in us. Christ in me, the hope of glory!

I believe that this passage in Philippians, one of my all time favorites, gives us one of the major keys to having peace in difficult times of anxiety. Does the Lord promise to take our problems away? No. Does the Lord tell us this life will be easy? No.

But, He does promise us Himself and His peace. And that peace, friends? That peace is beyond our understanding. The hardest moments of our lives don’t magically disappear…but that peace transcends anything on this earth that we can see, touch or feel.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

This verse gives us the key…do you see it? Prayer brings peace. In everything, everything, present your requests to God ~ with thanksgiving ~ AND THE PEACE OF GOD will guard your heart and your mind!!

Feeling anxious? Pray. Speak the name of Jesus if you have no other words.

Did you catch the other key to peace? First, we pray about everything. But, when we are praying, pray with thanksgiving.

Feeling overwhelmed with everything on your plate? Start by thanking God for every little thing you can think of.

Worried about your prodigal or sick child? Name aloud the things you can find to be thankful for. As you names your blessings, pray. Keep on praying. As you pray, He will fill your heart with His peace. That peace only comes from Him. That peace only comes when we spend time with Him. That peace comes as a result of our relationship, not a formula.

I don’t know about you, but I’m guilty of trying to rid myself of anxiety as quickly as possible instead of turning to the one place where peace is promised. Getting rid of it is not always God’s plan…giving you peace in the midst of the struggle is what He offers.

Sweet friends, I’ve been so overwhelmed lately myself, this message is for me as much as it is for you. I hope you will join me in spending more time on our knees than looking for ways out of our circumstances.

Prayer and thanksgiving bring peace. That sweet, sweet fellowship with the Lover of our souls fills us up with peace indescribable. I’ve seen it in my own life time and time again. I know He will do the same for you!

signature_candace

 

Click over to my blog if you’d like to read more about my journey with depression

Heidi St John Firmly Planted Family Devotional For All Ages

The Storm

thestorm

We have been trapped in the house for days. In South Carolina, it just doesn’t snow…. but this week it decided to start coming down… and didn’t stop for THREE days! After endless hours watching the forecast, we prepared as best as we could for the days ahead. Stores were emptied of the typical bread and milk, cars gassed, batteries stocked and we all bunkered down in our homes.

Isolated from the rest of the world as the storm approached.

As the days went on and the news kept running I learned that no matter how much you prepare, sometimes you just aren’t prepared for what life throws at you.

How similar was this past week with other situations in life? You may see something BIG coming at you. You brace yourself as best as you can… but sometimes, no matter how well we stock up or bunker down, we can’t escape life’s curveballs.

My Pastor once said that the first step the enemy loves to do during a moment in crisis is to isolate you. Make you feel alone. Separate yourself from the outside world so he can begin to whisper lies in your ear…

And then he loves to convince you to keep it a secret…

” No one will understand…”

” It’s just that bad.”

” They will think I am weird..”

And the infamous…

” They will think I am not really a Christian if…”

But that’s exactly the opposite of what God’s word said.

That’s why Jesus stressed gathering together in prayer, in communion and in worship…

” LET US NOT STOP MEETING TOGETHER… BUT ENCOURAGING ONE ANOTHER…” HEBREWS 10:25

There is POWER in numbers and POWER in prayer.

Mom’s, life is TOUGH!! Sometimes we don’t even get a chance to get back up before we are knocked down again from another blow. Life has a way of hitting us from all sides… all at the same time But Jesus already knew that. And He knew that we couldn’t do this life alone!! We need each other. We need our love and prayers and smiles…When the days are good…

and when the storms come.

The greatest part about the storm is that Jesus already knows the ending. He wrote the story and although we may never know all the reasons the storms come, this side of heaven, we can rest asured knowing that Gods got this. Our job is to continue to pray, trust and hold on cause sometimes life is a wild ride…

“FOR I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU ” DECLARES THE LORD, “PLANS TO PROSPER YOU AND NOT TO HARM YOU, PLANS TO GIVE YOU A HOPE AND A FUTURE.” JEREMIAH 29:11

God doesn’t make mistakes, nor does he forget about you. He is working behind the scenes.

By the third day of the snowstorm, many people were left without power. Pipes burst, cars fell into snowdrifts but eventually the snow stopped falling. We thought that day would never come. My children watched out the window as the glaze of ice reflected the sun. We still couldn’t leave the house. unplowed streets made travel too dangerous….

And then the sun began to shine. Its rays came through my window and we all OOHHED and AHHHED so relieved to see the one thing that would bring us freedom. By the next day the streets were dry and we loaded our van to venture out. We were giddy. Cabin fever got the best of us. Apparently everyone else in town had the same idea… but that’s ok. We didn’t care. It felt great to be free. It’s hard to believe that JUST yesterday our hope of warmth was gone. Our world was covered in ice… then POOF, it’s GONE!!

It’s one of the great perks of living in the south…

Our “storm” was over. Our circumstances changed quicker than we realized…. and now it is just a memory… We look back on those three days and can see the good in being trapped…. we may even think it wasn’t as bad as we thought….

Either way, we got through!

Like in life, this too shall pass. The Sun WILL shine again and you can venture on with a smile…. just hold on through the storm.

XOXO

signature_amy

Heidi St John Firmly Planted Family Devotional For All Ages