Tag Archives: worry

Savor the wait!

Posted on by


As I write this, it’s a cool 93 degrees.  Yes, cool…. later it will be 113!  Summer in Phoenix.  Just where you want to be.  Normally we visit in the winter or early spring.  Not summer.

So, why are we here now?

Because grandbaby #9 is due!  Actually he is overdue by more than a week!

It’s an interesting thing waiting for a baby to be born.  As we all wait, we and our grandkids have been having fun swimming together, playing games, talking, thoroughly enjoying each others’ presence.  And at the same time, part of the joy of being together is waiting together.

Each day we wonder… will it be today?  Each night we go to sleep wondering… will it be tonight?    We all know that he is in there.  We can see him moving.  We can feel him.  Our daughter-in-law is all too aware!  She is so ready.

And while he is her body, we are joined in the experience of waiting for a joyful gift from God.  It’s almost as if the waiting is making the gift that much more precious and sweet.  We all have been tempted to say, “Is he ever going to come out?!”

But it has struck me, that we can savor the waiting knowing what is to come, will come.

Today I ask you, is there a promise of God for which you are sure and for which you are waiting?
Maybe you can savor the richness of the waiting, enjoying life and your relations, as you do.

Just a thought.

Faith trumps worry!

Posted on by

Good day!  I hope you are finding the time today to celebrate and remember all the dedicated men and women who have sacrificed their lives, their time, their bodies, and their hearts for the purpose of maintaining our freedom.  I appreciate them!

One particular soldier I would like to mention is our first grandson, Josh, who is currently training for the Navy SEALS.  He’s only 19, but his passion to serve God and his country is strong.

Thus far, it has been a grueling experience, unimaginable to most, but it seems the worst of his training is behind him!

It’s interesting what is behind our decisions and choices in life.

Living in Brooklyn and walking back and forth to school, Josh was once robbed at knife-point.  The perpetrator wanted the laptop Josh was carrying home.  He was about 8 or 9.  Thankfully he was not hurt… at least not physically.

Around that same time, the twin towers were struck.  Josh’s church, pastored by his other grandfather, was in Manhattan and so, he witnessed the devastation weekly.

The effects and fear of terrorism was very real for this little guy.

A few years later his family moved to England where is father secured a pastorate position. By then, however, the sentiment toward Americans had turned negative and Josh experienced hardship far too often in school BECAUSE of it.

All these things affected Josh’s faith in God, too.  For a few years, he seemed unreachable.  We worried at times about where all this would lead for him.

We worried because we couldn’t see the future.  We worried because our faith that our God is faithful and loving was not as strong as our fear.  We worried because we were afraid Josh’s wounds would dictate his choices negatively, as it did for us in our younger years.

Somewhere along the line, though, God quieted our hearts as we sought Him.  We didn’t know how all this was going to turn out … only that Josh had God’s favor, as did we, and thus we could count on the outcome to be a favorable one.

No one would have guessed that Josh would desire to try out for the SEALS.  When Josh announced his decision, the opportunity to shriek, “NO!!” rose large.  But we saw how determined he was, and even before enlisting, he trained hard.

When he was accepted into the program, straight from civilian life, we knew he would not need our worrying.  He would need our faith.

That’s what all our men and women need.

Thankfully we are persuaded that faith is a much greater force than worry.

And in what do we have faith? 

In our God who loves us, redeems us, and restores us from all brokenness, and even more, grants us the freedom for which we all long.

Remember the soldiers, today, and remember your God.

Holding God and you in brilliant remembrance!
Maryann

How to Seek God

Posted on by

Writing a book opens all kinds of doors.  And I love that.  More coaching clients, invitations to speak, seminars to present, and book signings to do. Opportunities to witness the move of God in the hearts and minds of so many new, as well as old friends.

I get so excited when the opportunity gets presented… and then, a few days, or the night before the event… a dread falls upon me.  I want to run away, disappear, and go into hiding.

At first, I thought something was wrong, or maybe I’m not supposed to do this, or…. and then, doubt about who I am takes over, and I even lose sight of why I’m doing this.  Quite frankly, it almost overwhelms me!

Has this ever happened to you, or is it just me?

And what is this dread about?

For me, imagined fears of being a failure, or being alone, of feeling like I’m ineffective, inadequate, and non-essential.  Old yukky thoughts still wanting to block and stop me from carrying out the mission God has placed within me.

But…ha-ha!   God is making me savvy.  I see the wiley ways of the enemy who stands to accuse and oppose me.

God is making me smart.  He exposes the plot, and reminds me who I am, and why I do what I do.


He shows me the thoughts that create the feeling of dread are not the thoughts of a highly favored woman of God, co-heir of the King, esteemed and deeply loved child of a Father who has said He would do “whatsoever” I ask.

He uses these times to train me, mentor me, and power me up.  I am then led to speak my agreement with Him.


“Yes, Lord, You are mighty and I am highly favored.  I am blessed to be a blessing.  In You, I am not a failure.  In You, I am not ineffective.  You have chosen me for such a time as this!  When I enter that arena, I will be full of Your love, wisdom, and anything else I need because You are faithful. You are already there, and at the same time, I bring You with me. Flow through me, and touch whoever needs Your touch.  I am grateful and excited to showcase Your love, Your favor, and Your energy.  Thank you for choosing me.”

Well, I am happy to report, the seminar I conducted after my last tangle with dread was sheer delight.  The Lord showed up in a marvelous way as He gave me the courage to transparently tell my embarrassing stories.   All the pieces of the study fell into place, and the ladies responded as baby birds, mouths wide open, hungry for what God was revealing.  It was apparent to all that He was there, at work, inspiring, motivating, and encouraging.  As a friend quoted from Veggie Tales, “I laughed. I cried.  It really touched me, Bob.”  Cute.

Consciously flowing in the favor of God could not happen if I did not “seek” Him.  Not some religious ritual, perfunctorily performed and then checked off, seeking Him is as simple as sharing our secrets with an intimate friend, or relaxing over coffee with a deeply interested relative.


And yet, there is a profundity to seeking Him, where He shares with us the inner workings of His heart and mind.  How secure He makes me feel knowing that every need I have, He has the answer and solution.

Where I once had difficulty carving out time to sit with Him because of all I had to get done, I now am so addicted to it, that everything else gets ordered around this part of my day.   Oh, how much easier, more productive, and satisfying life is!! For those of you who know what I’m talking about… let us rejoice together!

For the rest, oh, how I want that for you!

And so, I asked the Lord to speak to you today, and here is what He said,


“Come to Me as you are.  I know the details of your life intimately.   And I care about it all.  You don’t have to know anything other than I desire you and you desire me.  Sit with Me, and let Me show you My love.  Close your eyes, and look into Mine.  Do you see My delight for you?  You are My heartthrob.  You are My joy.  I know everything in your mind, your heart, your circumstances.. I know it all. I see the good in you, and all are trying to accomplish.  I see your fears, too. Come, let Me show you that I am on your side.

I desire to work with and through you, to give you ideas and what you need to accomplish them.  (I see the Lord lift up your face, and a radiant glow illuminates it, as He says…) I have things worked out for you.  Sit and rest awhile, and then follow my lead and I will show you the path.”

At that point the Lord held you close, until you were almost totally absorbed into Him.  Oh, the sweet satisfaction in His eyes as He held you!

How do we seek God?  Just show up, be ready to receive, and have a conversation.  He is waiting with eagerness and joy.


Have an amazing week!

How To NOT Worry Part 2

Posted on by
I hope you had a stellar weekend!  It’s that time of year here where the leaves are turning those beautiful shades of gold, red, and brown.  Love it!


 So, you recall in a previous post I proposed that we can greatly reduce (dare I say, eliminate??) worry by not doing anything different than we are already doing, but rather, change our FOCUS.

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in your sight,  O, Lord, my Rock (Strength) and my Redeemer.” Ps 19:14

We want the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts to be acceptable in the sight of God. But what is that?

What are those words and meditations that God finds acceptable?


Oh, my — the answer could be a very long and drawn out one… but let’s make it simple today.. …. anything that AGREES with God and His heart and intention for you.

Here I’ll choose one for you today … Next time you find yourself worrying about something you have said or done, or something you failed to say or do, and you are now worried about the consequences of that – meditate on this truth:

you are the righteousness of God in Christ.

Do not be tempted to think of this in only doctrinal terms… this is real!

Being His righteousness means that you are filled with everything that is deemed right by God. Indeed, it is WHO YOU ARE!

You have the right heart, the right thoughts, the right solutions, the right wisdom, the right attitude, the right power, the right authority to use that power, the right creativity…. need I go on?

Because of Christ, it is all there within you. Meditating on this truth and speaking it out loud, will RELEASE it into your mind, your heart, and in your circumstances.  Faith will rise. You will find the right and favorable outcome to the thing you are concerned about.  If you need to change your heart and mind about something, you will know that and doing it will come easier.  But don’t dwell in that position!  Move on.

Worry will only cloud your judgment and confuse your efforts.  This kind of worry also causes us to doubt ourselves and that makes us feel insecure and unstable.

By declaring that you are God’s righteousness, you will put the devil on notice that you can not be accused and condemned because you are all right with God and He is all right with you!

And if God is for you, who can be against you!  Being His righteousness entitles you to all kinds of benefits, not the least of which is the authority to use His power.

So, rather than use the power He has given you to worry, use it for good. Meditate on life giving thoughts and speak life giving words.

If you would write and tell me what you are going to meditate and speak on this week, I would love it!  If you want me to hold you accountable, let me know.  I will be happy to do so!


 Always in YOUR corner, Maryann

What? Me Worry?

Posted on by

Good morning and welcome to another edition of Java, Jammies, and Jesus!

Often I will get a word from the Lord that is not just for me, but for others as well,  a word that I am supposed to share.

But quite frankly, I don’t always do it.

Maybe I hesitate at times because I still have a little apprehension that you all might think that I’m a tad loony because I say God speaks to me.

Other times, I might drawback because I fear you thinking, “Who is she to say, ‘God told me'”?

And still other times, the message is so simple that, for a split second, I worry, “Well, Lord….. who doesn’t know that?”

This is one of those times.

But here it is, from God to you: “Life is simple. I have only 2 requirements. Love Me and love others as you love yourself.”

That’s it.

Now maybe you would like to have some insider info as to what the Lord and I were discussing before I received that reassuring message.

Why did He say that to me? You’d be right if you thought it didn’t just come out of nowhere.

Well, when I got up this morning, I came to our meeting spot with a number of concerns that had had their way with me over the past couple of nights, disturbing my sleep.

I call it the collision of the concerns … you know, when there are too many that they just collide with each other creating confusion and unwanted negative energy.

Some of the concerns were obvious, in your face ones, like what the heck is going on in our world and the economy? And Wall Street???

Arghhhh…!!

Others were related to some devastating tragedies that our friends are experiencing.

Still others were more personal related to self imposed deadlines and the feeling of too much to do with too little time, our youngest son, yes, the “baby”, being 3000 miles away at school, or financial demands being greater in this season than usual.

Nothing out of the ordinary. Just life, or so it seems.

In thinking about these concerns, I was tempted to think too much about what I should or could do about them.

I thought I needed wisdom, strategies, and an action plan. And maybe I do need them, but when concerns are colliding at a blinding speed, those precious things are hard to come by!

And so, I began to tell the Lord about it and affirm His majesty and glory for me and others.

And just then, making a path through the noise in my brain, the Lord with His words, carved a way deep into my heart and mind saying,”Life is simple. I have only 2 requirements. Love Me and love others as you love yourself.”

Somehow in that instant it was clear to me what I must do: Just sit back and Rest in His love. Fill up on His love. Bask in it, revel in it, appreciate it, and bathe in it. Don’t go anywhere, do anything, attend to anyone until I feel satisfied, at peace, and happy. When I feel the smile on my face, I know I’m there.

Yes, contrary to what is going on in the world and the people and situations with which I am involved, I feel deeply within, that all … is ….  indeed …. well. The muscles in my neck relax, my breathing evens, and in the midst of the turmoil, I have found a restful pond in which to float, held up effortlessly by natural buoyancy.

The abundance I feel is tangible.

Don’t worry. Be happy. I couldn’t make that happen myself, but God can…. and did!

Like every other morning, all I had to do was show up, share, listen, agree, and receive.

I realized, once again, at that moment, that we are not victims of the circumstances. We are always meant to be victors.

I realized that while I feel helpless, in reality I can do something about Wall St. and even the economy at large, something powerful and effective:

I can pray, trusting Him to work all things together for good.

I realized that I can rest in His love and know that I and my family are well cared for and will continue to be. He will lead us in whatever personal decisions we need to make.

I realized that in His love I have an abundance of time, energy, and creativity to do whatever I really need to do.

In His love I can count on Him protecting, guiding, and enriching us, our son, and our friends.

In His love there is more financial provision than the vaults of Knoxville, and He delights in providing for us.

So, like old Alfred E. Neuman used to say, “What? Me worry????”

Have a great day! And oh, if you have a moment,  I’d love to hear your comments!

Cheers!

Maryann