Just a little "concerned"

“I’m a mom; it’s my job to worry.”

Sound familiar?

It seems we think worrying is not only our job, it’s our sacred duty!

Maybe subconsciously we believe we can measure our love by the amount we fuss and worry over every little detail of our children’s lives. (Does a lack of worrying show a lack of concern for their well-being?) It’s very easy to fall into the worry trap because it’s such a normal and accepted way of thinking in the world. But you know what? We need to always remember that God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Philippians 4:6 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

I don’t worry as much as some people I know. This should make me feel better, right? But there’s that “anxious for nothing” clause in there.

Drats, I’m not okay with just a little worry. God does not want us to worry about anything, not even our precious children.

When my firstborn was an infant and grew sick with bronchitis his first winter, I grew sick with worry. A wise person told me, “Don’t worry about your baby. Trust God, He loves your child more than you ever could.” I almost didn’t want to admit it, but I knew in my spirit this was true. I loved my child more than my life, but I could not love him perfectly as God did.

Accepting that truth has given me peace time and time again over the years. When I catch myself worrying about my children (yes, I still do it, although I’ll admit only to “being concerned”), I thank God that He loves my children more than I ever could, and I can trust Him to look out for them.

The verse following Philippians 4:6 (Phil. 4:7) says, “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

When we learn that through “prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving,” we can “let [our] requests be made known to God” and trust Him for the outcome, we will experience His peace that “surpasses all understanding.”

God wants His children to walk in peace and confidence, and honestly, isn’t that what we want for our own children?