Category Archives: resting

Thinking outside the box #1 – the future

Anxiety and worry, resting, Training the mind, trust

The Future and other Worries – thinking outside the box

The future can be a problem to people with a lot of unknowns. Especially if you have a series of potential disasters looming and don’t know what the future will hold. Will it get even harder and will you be able to cope? What will your life be like then? The future is a big concern, especially for people with physical trials like cancer. I know that in my long trial of illness, I wondered what the future would be and thought that if I just knew what was coming I could handle it better. But, was that what I really wanted? What if God revealed it to me and it was even worse than I had imagined? I could crumble at the thought. No, better leave the future to God and get grace for each day. The future is too big of a weight for anyone to carry except God.
In dealing with unknowns, I found that I needed to change the way I thought, to think outside the box. The trial was hard enough in itself without my making it harder by all the conflicting emotions that could trip me up. In order to lighten my heavy burden I needed to learn to think about things in a different way. Continue reading Thinking outside the box #1 – the future →

Jesus in the Boat

faith, resting, Training the mind, trust

“Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out. But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!” (Luke 8:22-25).

What strikes me about this passage is where Jesus was positionally during this scenario. He was the one who charted the course across the lake and was ‘present’ and ‘all there’ at the beginning. It is easy to go on a voyage when your leader is visibly in front. But note what happens, during the voyage trouble arose with a windstorm. Now remember, they are committed to being in the boat since they are in the middle of the lake. They can’t just hop out on shore if the waves get too big for them. This is often the case with trials, God charts the course and once you’re in it, you can’t necessarily get out of it. Since you are now committed, it would be nice to have God’s presence always there in a way you can feel it. Continue reading Jesus in the Boat →