Philippians 4:4-11
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
We all worry about something... and I think as moms we might worry more than normal. But, who am I kidding?! We all have a heightened level of worry and anxiety right now. Never in a million years did we see something like this virus coming into our lives and affecting it in the ways it has.
I mean how am I going to work from home, teach my own kid, cook, clean, exercise, read the Bible and just do life? It's overwhelming. The ONLY way I've stayed sane in crazy times before is because I gave it all to God.
So how should we respond to all this added stress? The first thing Paul mentions is to REJOICE (v. 4). Let's use some of this time to be thankful for what we do have. Some of us have more time with family. Some of us have jobs. Some are able to work on projects we thought we'd never get to... and some of us finally get the rest we've been needing for a long time.
Next, Paul mentions to not be anxious about anything (v.6). So easy, right Paul? Yeesh. I know I constantly say I'm giving everything to God but then feel the stress eating me from the inside out. (This is literally happening right now). So does that mean I haven't given everything to God or that I need to rest in the fact that He has everything under His control. For me, I think it's the latter but that is for you to decide.
But oh do I want that peace (v.7). The peace that goes beyond the understanding of others. This is the way I want to live the next few weeks of my life and beyond. People kept asking me during my "Job" year how I could smile and keep it together. A lot of it was this peace that came from God that I literally could not put into words.
I LOVE how verses 8-9 relate. The way we get rid of worry is to replace it with GOOD things. Things that are pure, lovely, admirable and praiseworthy. Undistracted time with our children can be so pure. A conversation with a friend telling them how inspirational they are. Starting an instagram trend of building each other up. Going for a walk to see the sunrise or sunset. Playing worship music and singing it so loud the neighbors wonder what is going on. These simple things cost no money but can replace the anxious thoughts that we continue to mull over in our minds. These too can give you the peace of God (v. 9).
I included verses 10-13 because I love seeing how scripture connects. When we have peace we also have contentment. And when we are content then God uses uses us to do things we may have previously thought impossible. What are we thinking about that seems impossible at this point? What else can we give to God so that we can have this peace explained here in Philippians?
More time with him. More thinking about the good things and less about the anxious ones.
Love to you all and prayers during this uncertain times. Please let me know if there is anything I can pray about for/with you?