Hey guys! I just wanted to share something that I've had on my heart the past couple days. I went over to my grandma's house the other day to take her some flowers that were left over from an event I worked this past weekend and we got to talking about life and the highs and the lows that accompany it. I shared some happy and exciting things with her and we laughed, but we also shed a few tears as we opened our hearts to one another. If no one else is behind me in life, I know my grandma is always going to be one of my biggest fans. She encourages me, prays for me, and loves me...and for this I am so thankful. We talked for about an hour and before I left she shared a devotional she had read that really resonated with me.
Jesus said, "I have told my people they can have what they say, but my people are saying what they have."
You know that feeling when it seems like a preacher is reading your mail? Like when they are just nailing everything you're feeling even better than you could explain it yourself? This was one of those moments. It was kind of funny because after my grandma read that she looked at me and we definitely shared a "woah" moment.
The past couple of years I have seen friends and loved ones stuggle with anxiety, fear, worry, depression, constant stress...and have even struggled with some of those things myself. To be very transparent, there was a point in my life that even at 21 years old there were nights where I would have to sleep in my mom's bed because I was too scared to sleep alone. The panicking feeling was so overwhelming. I would pace the hallways in my dorm at school and have to call my mom at 2 a.m. and have her talk and pray with me just so I could calm down enough to go to sleep.
Feeling anxious, fearing the future, worrying, etc. I have been there. I still struggle. Every day it takes a conscious effort to surrender my fears and worries to the Lord. It's not always easy. And I understand that it is way easier said than done to overcome some of these things. In my humanness, sometimes if I'm not worrying about something, I feel like I'm forgetting to do something. But I read somewhere once a quote that said something like... "When we worry we are basically telling God that we don't think his plan is good enough for our lives." Y'all, I don't know about you, but I am for sure guilty of this. That quote wrecked me.
In Matthew 7:7 it says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."
I am a firm believer that our words are powerful.
Matthew 15:11 says, "What goes into someone's mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them."
Proverbs 18:21 says, "The tongue has the power of life and death..."
The Bible also tells us in Psalm 141:3 to pray for God to set a guard over our mouth and keep watch over the door of our lips.
Jesus has told us that we can have what we ask for when we pray, but instead we speak out, "I'm depressed," "I have terrible anxiety," or "I am so stressed." Like most students at some point in their school career, I would say things like "I'm so going to fail this test." But then I would remember that my words have power, and as silly as it sounds I would quickly say something like, "I'm going to do great on this test!" (...even if I knew it was a stretch haha I don't know guys, it seemed to help me out.)
***I know there are people who would love to just snap their fingers and make their anxiety and depression go away, and unfortunately I have seen first hand that it is not that easy. But I do believe in the power of prayer, and for those people I will continue to pray.***
I guess I have shared all of this to challenge you to change your mindset or at least to make you aware and remind you to speak out positive and uplifting words over your life or your friends and loved ones lives. Give it a try and see how the rest of your week changes. I'm going to try to do better myself! Much love.
xoxo LS
