Bigger Than Our Fears

Read Matthew 6:25-34

So don't worry at all about having enough food and clothing. Why be like the heathen? For they take pride in all these things and are deeply concerned about them. But your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well that you need them, and he will give them to you if you give him first place in your life and live as he wants you to.

So don't be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time.

Matthew 6:31-34 (TLB)

"I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn't fragile like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid." John 14:27 (TLB)

Since Madison Brown, from Texas, was a kid, she had been a worrier. It started with small worries about whom she was going to talk to at lunch or who would allow her to join their game at recess. It grew into intense anxiety about almost any social situation. Her anxiety was rooted in deep fears about not belonging and facing rejection. These fears clouded most of middle school and high school as she worried that people considered "cool" were secretly judging her every action. Madison did her best to put on a happy face each day, but on the inside she was sinking.

When Madison opened up to her parents about the roots of her anxiety, they encouraged her to think about where her strength and peace come from. Madison realized that she was looking for peace in other people's approval instead of from the one true God. Thus began the slow journey of retraining her brain. Now, when an anxious thought arises, Madison combats it with scripture and reason instead of letting it take root, Learning to do this takes patience, and the journey never ends. While she is in a much better place than she was two years ago, Madison still struggles every day. But she knows God has provided her with all the tools she needs.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us minds to think, to be creative, and to worship you. In times of mental distress, remind us that you are looking out for us, in Jesus' name. Amen.