Worry isn’t love.

Worry is a deceiver, a con-artist, a flim-flam man who steals from people by tricking them – stealing their peace, their faith, their hope – stealing everything God has for them.

Worry tricks his victims into always waiting for the other shoe to drop; Worry survives by living off your fear, my fear, leaves its willing victims waiting for the bad to happen, never believing it could be otherwise, banking on being brought down by bad things not yet seen on the horizon.

If you’re hanging out with worry, you’ll pick up its bad habits. You’ll live anticipating, waiting for bad to happen.

Worry trains its companions, coaching them to sharpen their eyes on the horizon for fearful things coming any time now.

God doesn’t deal in worry. That’s satan’s currency.

“Fret Not,” God says!

Fret: “To rub; to wear away a substance by friction;” ~ 1828 Noah Webster Dictionary.

Fretting rubs away faith and hope by the constant friction it builds by focusing on what hasn’t happened, instead of what God has for us. Stop banking on Worry’s prophecies winning. Instead trust God. He’s got the winning plan – your plan, my plan, the plan of our grandbabies not even born yet.

Though we may not understand His life plans for our individual life, He designed each plan to prosper each soul, even when that soul seems all turned upside down, even when the world seems all turned upside down. I imagine Samson’s parents dealt in worry. Their son did everything they instructed Him not to do. They didn’t realize Samson’s rebellion was God-planned to promote God’s bigger plan. God is the God of planning, of growing, of building, of redeeming. God is the God of Salvation not abandonment.

“Fret not yourself because of evildoers. . . .” ~ Psalm 37: 1a.

“Fret Not,” God says.

Fret – “To agitate; to disturb; to make rough; to cause to ripple; as, to fret the surface of water” ~ 1828 Noah Webster Dictionary.

Trusting God causes peace in the challenge, comfort in the hard, assurance in the overwhelming. Naomi and Ruth, the Shunammite woman, Rahab, Jochebed, Mary are all testimonies to Faith and Hope in God over Worry about What Could Happen.

“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness” ~ Psalm 37:3.

“Fret Not,” God says.

“To corrode; to gnaw; to ear away; as, a worm frets the planks of a ship” ~ 1828 Noah Webster Dictionary.

Just as a worm frets the planks of a ship, so worry frets the soul of a man.

We are designed for God’s goodness; we thrive on His blessings and the love He pours into us.

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. . .,” ~ Psalm 37:4.

“Fret Not,” God says.

Let worry be a call to prayer. When your soul feels unsettled, when fear tries to wedge its way in, run straight to your Father who fights for you, who has plans to do good for you, who says you are the apple of His eye. Remember what He has done for you. He will do it again. He says so! Run to Him with your worry; give it to Him to take care of. . . .

“Commit yourself to the Lord, trust in Him, and he will act, . . . . ” ~ Psalm 37:5.

“Fret Not,” God says.

“Run along,” He says. “I’ve got this. I was just waiting for you to bring it to me. Run along – and leave the worry with me. Go find the blessings I’ve left for you.”

. . .and while we wait for Him to take care of this worry, He wants us to live trusting Him. When we do that, our soul eyes clear to see the blessings our Father has left all around us – the Big and Little blessings He leaves in our everyday ordinary.

Instead of waiting for the other shoe of bad things happening, we anticipate God’s goodness.

We will be so confident of God’s gracious mercies and love, that even when hard times come, we will live in expectation of His goodness showing up in unexpected, beautiful, heart-encouraging ways. Wait with confidence of His goodness.

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. . . .” ~ Psalm 37: 7a.”

“Fret Not,” God says.

Worry takes our eyes off God; Faith keeps them on God. One is a road map to Him, to home; the other takes us further and further away from Him.

One promises goodness; one only promises misery.

“Fret not; it tends only to evil. . . .” ~ Psalm 37: 8b.

“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies” ~ Philippians 4: 6-9.

Thank you, Father, for the blessings you’ve left me this week, for the comfort of your love, the doors you open and the ones you close. Thank you for the dill and the lavender – and the energy to harvest them. Thank you for the opportunity to knead dough and roll it into cinnamon rolls, for courage to make muffins, for a team of women who smile greets and give kindness, for 3-year-olds who include us in prayers, and newborn snuggles. Thank you for hearts that include us, welcome us just as we are. Thank you for a son who bandaged up my finger I sliced while cooking without me asking, another son who is quietly kind, for boys who still wrestle and exasperate, a kind husband who waters my garden and is just as excited about each new cucumber as I am. Thank you, God for friends who encourage me and see me better than I see myself!

Remember Me Monday: # 9 & Linky

“I’ll make a list of God’s gracious dealings,
    all the things God has done that need praising,
All the generous bounties of God,
    his great goodness to the family of Israel—
Compassion lavished,
    love extravagant.”
~ Isaiah 63:7, The Message

In the Old Testament, God repeatedly, quietly and loudly, tells his children, “You have forgotten me!”  (Jeremiah 3:32, Ezekiel 22:12, to name a few). It’s a heart cry from a father to a child who has forgotten all the love, all the saving, helping, little and big blessings – and it leaves me stunned when I realize our Father, the creator of the universe, who knows things I cannot begin to fathom, who authors storylines that leave me amazed, delights in all of us so much, He cries out, “Remember Me.”

While every day is a Remember God Day, I am inviting you to join me on Monday mornings to come by and remember what God has done for you, for your family. Maybe God sent a cardinal darting out in front of you, as if to tell you, “I’m here,” or broke a child’s fever after you laid it all down at His feet in a 2 a.m. bedside vigil. Maybe He stood with you in the wait of a prayer sent out, or brought someone you loved to Christ. Maybe He healed your broken heart, gave your courage, or you gave Him your dreams as a love offering only to have Him give them back in an unimaginable way. Maybe God helped you survive to bedtime after a crazy Monday, or forgive yourself for missing it with your kiddos –– Whatever it is, let’s Remember Him. . . in a “Remember Me Monday” love letter.

“My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
Of your salvation all the day long,
Though I know not its measure.
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord”
~ Psalm 71:15-16.

Let us delight in Him by telling the  stories of what He’s done!  If you wrote a blog post remembering what He’s done for you, join the linky. If you didn’t but still want to praise Him for what He’s done – write it in the comment section. Then visit a comment before or after yours! One of the beautiful things about the blogging community is the relationships it builds!

Rules?  Write long or short, a list or a story, include photos or not. Just Remember Him and what He has done, and let the gratitude of your heart guide you. Let’s make Monday so Rejoice, that the goodness of God spills into the rest of the week!

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Places I’m Linking at This Week:

 Inspire Me Monday, Grace & Truth,  Global Blogging, Senior Salon, Hearth and Home,
Purposeful Faith, Tell His Story, InstaEncouragement,
Recharge Wednesday, Worth Beyond Rubies,
Share a Link Wednesday, Let’s Have Coffee, Legacy Link-Up,
Tune In Thursday / Salt and Light
Grace and Truth, Faith on Fire, Blogger Voices Network