*Official disclaimer, “I don’t mean to offend any animal
lovers.” (P.S. Truthfully, I just wanted to use the footnoted *star*)
The point I am trying to make is that anticipation is half
the fun. Looking forward to exciting
things in the future is a great part of life. More than that, it
is actually a unique gift of being a human.
Animals cannot anticipate their upcoming birthday party. Only human persons can anticipate. Research it if you don’t believe me. (I am not talking about an animal’s ability
to instinctively react to situations or environments.) “Squirrel!” I digress.
{Photo courtesy of humanewatch.org} |
Since, unfortunately, we have a fallen human nature,
anticipation can sometimes get twisted up in our brains. It stops being fun when the anticipation
turns into anxiety. Anticipation is
motivating, anxiety is debilitating. If
we’ve found that looking toward the future no longer gives us joy, but makes it
hard to get out of bed, then we’ve got to take a step back.
Anxiety surfaces when your self-worth is attached to the
outcome. Lucy, let me ‘splain. I am really looking forward to seeing my
brothers and sisters on Thanksgiving Day.
I am anxious because I want them to affirm me and I want their approval…still…after
all these grown up years. I just want to
be loved. Here’s the ticket: I AM ALREADY LOVED. Even if no one else in this world loves me,
God loves me no matter what. And, I
think, my brothers and sisters love me too.
At least they pretend to love me when I’m aroundJ. Here’s my two cents: You are worthy. And you will still be worthy at your family
get-togethers. Know you are loved, truly
loved, for who you are. Take that
wonderful deep breath of peace and joy.
Now that’s what I’m talking about!
We are tempted to start controlling more and more when we
are inflicted with anxiety. What is more
beneficial, however, is to let go of control and offer it up to God. The more you control, the more anxiety you
will experience. We cannot do everything
all on our own. We can do nothing
without God. He is God, after all. That’s, like, so much, like, better than,
like, a human, ya know, like, ya know?
(A-Not-so-)Cliché challenge of the day: Purposely think of “worst case scenarios”. What? Yes,
you read it correctly. When anxiety
rears it’s ugly head, think about your worst fears. Think about how you are knotting up your self-worth
with future events. Then think about the
things you are most afraid of happening.
My worst case scenario would be if I made a fool of myself and nobody
liked me anymore. Realistically, that’s
ridiculous, but it’s my legit fear. The
next step is to think, “SO WHAT!” So
what if no one likes me anymore, that’s their problem. So what if I make a fool of myself…maybe it
will be funny. At least my husband isn’t
going anywhere. He is stuck with me for
lifeJ. But seriously, the power of “so what” is
tremendous. Forget throwing in the love
and instead throw in some “so what” with your cranberry sauce and stuffing. Taste
the best Thanksgiving meal of your life!
Mary I love reading your new blog.
ReplyDeleteI followed your link on Facebook.
Such insight. Hope you are well.
Nina
NINA! Thank you! I am doing well. Hope you are well too. I think about you and pray for you often.
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