How do we RELAX and not worry?  This is a big one.  I am doing a Bible study right now titled “Overcoming Worry”.  There are so many things in this study that I have identified with.  But I also see that I have grown while not only doing this study but by reading Jesus Calling devotional every day and by staying more focused on God and prayer.

There is no magic formula to not worrying.  I think it is a very simple process BUT a very difficult process to implement.  The process to me is every time you start to worry, you pray and turn it over to God.  Sometimes I can do this and sometimes I cannot.  But if we can’t give it over to God, then we are saying to Him that we don’t trust Him.  We have to remember that He is in control of everything!!!

I read a story recently in my Bible study about a guy who decided to worry only on Wednesdays.  So if something came to mind that he started worrying about, he wrote it on a piece of paper and put it in his “worry box” and didn’t think about it again until Wednesday.  On Wednesday when he went to review the items in the box and spend time worrying, he realized that a lot of those things had already taken care of themselves and he had forgotten about the issue.

I loved this story.  Only instead of a worry box and going back to read over it on Wednesdays, I’ve tried to just give it up to the Lord when I start to worry.  Sometimes I take it back and worry again and feel myself giving it back to Him – again.

Let’s try some practical, physical things to give our worries over to the Lord.  If you must write them down, maybe you can use a prayer journal and write them down and pray over the concern and leave it with God and only in the prayer journal – no more thinking or worrying about it.

I have a place that I go to pray that has a cross and there are days that I physically take my cupped hands and lay my worries at the foot of the cross and ask Jesus to take care of it.

I told you it’s not easy…………..but it’s simple.  I think now we need to pray for the strength to follow the process so that we can RELAX and not worry.  Remember ……….we need to RELAX AND ENJOY THE JOURNEY and worrying zaps the JOY out of you.

Today….one day at a time……..then tomorrow……..just one day at a time……leave the worry at the foot of the cross.  I saw a church sign that said “Don’t Worry.  God’s Got This.”

How simple.  I think I’ll go pray and then Relax.