Tag Archives: worry and fear

Finding Peace in the Storm

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

Trusting God When Life Is Hard

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Do you ever allow yourself to get carried away with worry? I sure do! It can be overwhelming trying to homeschool 3 children (one of whom is severely autistic and another who has Asperger’s), keep the house clean, get the laundry done, feed everyone, be a loving wife, take care of church obligations, and work from home. The list looks so long when I stop to think about it! Your list may look a lot like mine, or it may look completely different. When you are a wife and mother, though, it’s almost certain that your list is long!

Recently, I’ve had several days during which I was literally on the verge of panic. I felt overwhelmed, tired, stressed out, and had trouble focusing on any of the things I needed to do. When I feel that way, it’s hard not to question God. After all, God could change my circumstances if He chose to do so. He could cure my children of their autism and Asperger’s. (He could cause them to be a little more compliant while He’s at it!) He could bless us with more money so I could hire a housekeeper to help with the work. There are so many ways He could change things to make life easier for all of us!

For a long time, I couldn’t understand why He didn’t do something. But lately I’ve started to realize that I need to choose not to worry about why God doesn’t change my circumstances. I don’t think it’s wrong to pray and ask God to heal my special needs children or help me identify ways to help keep the house clean, but I do think I must stop allowing myself to become frustrated and unhappy when He doesn’t do it my way. In other words, I have to learn to truly trust God. To understand that, even though I may not be able to see past my current situation, God can. Not only that, but He will make sure that whatever happens works out for the best!

Romans 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

At times it is literally impossible for me to know how a certain thing can possibly work out for my good or anyone else’s. When something tragic occurs, it seems as if no good could ever come out of it. To be honest, I would never voluntarily go through adversity, but I know there will be times when these situations will happen anyway.

How can God use my daughter’s autism for good? How can God work it out for everyone’s best when He allows my son to have Asperger’s? And how can my inability to keep my house clean possibly ever work out for the best? Yet no matter what, I can know that at the very least God will use these situations to allow me to know better how to comfort and support others who are experiencing similar circumstances. And He can use these situations to teach me to rely on Him and not myself.

2 Corinthians 1:4, Paul wrote that “God comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”

For now, I’m taking it one step at a time. I’m praying that God will help me obey and trust Him whether or not I understand what’s going on in my life. I’m choosing to remember that God will work things out for my good (and the good of my family members too). I’m choosing not to try to “help God out” by doing things my way. (That never really works out very well anyway, does it?) And I’m believing that God will honor my efforts to trust Him without question and that He will keep His promises.

What about you? Do you have trouble allowing God to be in control? Do you get depressed or upset when your situation is difficult? Maybe you can agree with me that God will take care of us. That He loves us. That He will do what’s best for us. If you’re in that situation and you’d like to leave your prayer request in the comments, please do that. I’ll be happy to agree with you in prayer that God will work each situation out for His glory and our good!

Praying the Scriptures

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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.

When Pressure Mounts

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Lately, I’ve felt the pressure mounting. Things that would normally roll off my back seem to just—you know—sit there.

Bills to pay. Kids to school. Doctor appointments. Cars to fix. Phone calls. Emails. Family pressure—be present more. Be more. Do more. Say more.

Mothers carry so much. Mothers are the gatekeepers of the next generation—and the next generation is up against a lot. How we respond to the pressures of this world is shaping an entire generation. It impacts our marriages. Our response to fear and pressure speaks for our faith.

I wonder: What does my life say about where I have placed my trust?

A few days ago, as I was struggling with a painful circumstance in my life, I realized something. I have a hard time trusting God. I’m not talking about faith here. My faith is as real to me now as it was when I first realized the truth of the Gospel. In that moment, I wept for the price that Christ paid for me. My heart was broken and my resolve was clear; I wanted to serve the Lord. I trusted Him. At least, I thought I did. But what does a six year old know of the trials this life can bring?

A child has no frame of reference to even consider the struggles that are coming. As a 44 year old mother of seven, I’m discovering that I still have a lot to learn about what trust looks like. As the pressure builds, I see clearly that I struggle to trust God’s heart toward me. I want to lean in, but I find I lean away—into my own strength and my own “solutions.”

Not a very good example, am I?

I turned to the Psalms, but God’s offer of “peace” alluded me. I searched for it, but struggled to see it as images of Americans losing their lives at the hands of ISIS flooded the news.

“Though war rise against me, I shall be confident…”
Psalm 27:3

Heard of any wars lately?

I praise God for His Word! In His Word, I discover again that my hope is never going to be found in my government, or my husband or myself. David makes this clear. The source of the psalmist David’s confidence and stability was not in his own strength—but in God. The example that David set for us resounded in my heart. This man, whom God called “the apple of his eye” struggled with fear. One minute he was praising God, and the next, he was crying out for rescue—and the undertones were often full of fear and worry!

“Do not hide … do not run … do not abandon or forsake me …”
Ps 27:9

I asked myself what David asked. “Has He ever failed me?” No. Even in my darkest moments, He has been there. My life is not unlike David’s life. He experienced the trials and triumphs of this life. He was falsely accused. He was in mortal danger. He lacked wisdom. He made wrong choices.

But here’s the thing the Psalms teach us loud and clear: we can’t do this life on our own. When we give God our fear, He gives faith in return. Notice the interaction Jesus with the father of a boy Jesus was preparing to from the affliction of an evil spirit:

“Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.”
Mark 9:23-24

I love the raw honesty of this father before the Master. He laid down his pride and just blurted it out … “I want to trust You, but I’m struggling!” Jesus didn’t point a finger or rebuke the man—instead, He healed the boy. It was always in His heart to do so.

If you struggle with unbelief, if you wonder if it’s safe leave your pain and fear in His hands, it’s okay. God understands. He knows we are dust. Today, you can lift your empty hands to Him with me—and choose to let your struggle draw you closer to the One who made you.

In the end, we have two choices to make as we navigate the uncertain waters of this world: we can trust Him or we can trust ourselves. If we trust Him, the Bible says our trust is well-placed. When the walls are falling down on us, we can confidently repeat the words of David:

“Though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear;
Though war rise against me, in spite of this I shall be confident.
…I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.”
Psalm 27

Pressing into God’s heart,

Feeling Anxious and Overwhelmed?

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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!

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

Spring Home School Burnout

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The weather is getting warmer, summer is almost here. It’s the last leg of the school year and I’m ready to throw in the towel and give up! This is our 18th year of homeschooling and it happens every year: the exciting days of fall, when I had high hopes of all that we would accomplish, have been buried under hopelessness. Reality is a harsh task master and it’s reminding me that we simply are NOT going to get it all done.

You would think that by now I would be immune to this annual event. I’m not. It has faded some, but still seems to rear its ugly head. Are you feeling the same way? Let’s take a minute, really think about this, and consider some things:

First of all, do you remember WHY you started to home school in the first place? For us, it was because we felt like we could give our kids a love for learning by letting them school more naturally, according to their giftings and interests. We wanted to protect them from influences that did not instill the values in them that we held important. We wanted to spend more time together as a family. We wanted flexibility. We wanted to prepare our kids for real life by living real life with them. Most of all we wanted our children to come into ownership of their own walks with God.

Are any of these your reasons? Did you notice that NONE of them had any direct correlation to curriculum? And yet, at the end of the day, it’s SO hard not to measure our homeschooling in terms of pages finished and projects completed.

God works in a very different economy. It’s hard to remember that. But He really does. His greatest concern is for our hearts, and as moms, that should be our greatest concern for OUR children. Are you seeing growth in your children’s souls? Are they learning HOW to think, rather than WHAT to think? Do they still love learning? Are the relationships within your family, for the most part, peaceful and healthy?

And how about you, Mom? Do you think YOU need to change to become what your children need or do you believe that you are uniquely qualified for this job? That you were made, by God’s design, to be these children’s mother and, they, to be YOUR children? Do you think that you need to figure everything out or that there is a perfect plan already in place? Do you believe that the results must measure up to expectations or that the results are on HIS shoulders? That you are responsible for everything, or that you are part of a team?

God loves our kids more than we do. Our job is to trust Him and do the next thing. He truly is good and faithful. So let’s take some time to breathe a prayer of thanks, rest in Him and enjoy our kids!

The Storm

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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

Heidi St. John

Speaking the Truth in Love

Tag Archives: worry and fear

Finding Peace in the Storm

Finding Peace

Free Scripture Printable

Trusting God When Life Is Hard

Praying the Scriptures

When Pressure Mounts

Feeling Anxious and Overwhelmed?

Spring Home School Burnout

The Storm