Stop Worrying and Put Your Trust in God
By: Cindi McMenamin
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” - 1 John 4:18
I’m sure you and I would never worry at all if we could be assured that our children would be happy, healthy, and safe all their days. But life comes with no such assurances. And while I personally can’t promise the well-being of your children, I can offer you some ways to eliminate worry, experience peace, and enjoy the task of parenting no matter how young or old your children are and no matter how much damage they might have done already. It’s all about leaning on the One who can do far more for and with your child than you ever could.
Scripture says God has not given us the spirit of worry or fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). And a mom can have a tremendously positive influence on her child when she is exercising not worry or fear, but God’s power, love, and a sound mind.
Trusting God with your children is not just wishful thinking and hoping God agrees with your prayers. It’s a lifestyle of leaning on the Living God who can accomplish all that we cannot, and who can determine what is best for your child when you and I only think we can. And it starts with letting go of the worry.
Worry says to our children and others: "God can't work this out." Therefore, worry is the sin of having no confidence in God. I know that you, like me, aren’t consciously thinking those words when you worry. But I also know you don’t want to display that type of mistrust to your children.
How we live will, to a great degree, impact how our children live. What we worry about, they will tend to worry about. On the flip side, where we put our trust will greatly impact how they will choose to handle situations in life, too. Even if they don't imitate your faith or degree of trust, they will know on Whom you rely (or don’t rely) and it speaks louder to them than any lecture. The choices we make – including whether we decide to worry or trust God – will no doubt influence our children's choices well into their adulthood.
God gave us a formula in His Word to help us stop the worry:
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7, NLT).
The very next verse tells us how to stop the worrying, so we can experience that kind of peace that comes through praying about everything:
…Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise (verse 8).
As you focus on God’s goodness, God’s love, and God’s ability to control all that you cannot, there is no room in your mind for fear or worry.
Trust Him. He can control all you think you must and all you are convinced you can’t. And He knows exactly what He’s doing in your child’s life – and yours.
Editor’s Note: Part of this devotional was taken from 3 Ways Worry is Ruining Your Parenting by Cindi McMenamin.You can read the full blog post here.
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