Last month I had trouble sleeping through the night.
Insomnia-like experiences are nothing new for me, but I haven’t had a sleepless night for quite some time. Growing up I’d often find myself awake at odd hours. As a result, I began “writing it out,” a practice I developed after discovering I was often unable to sleep because I needed to work through my thoughts and feelings.
So, I would write and write (and write) at a steady stream of consciousness until I fell asleep again. It seemed to work pretty well and I learned a lot about myself.
However, this time around, I didn’t resort to my usual technique because I knew why I was awake: stress. Due to many reasons, I just couldn’t relax. Worries had overtaken my thoughts and my mind and I became anxious.
What is it that has you anxious these days?
No one has the same list of worries, but they all cause the same effect. Chuck Swindoll in his message Getting Through the Tough Stuff of Anxiety says: “They make us uneasy, they steal the smile from our faces; they add a frown to our brow. They blind us to the pleasant possibilities of the future. They rip us off and steal our joy.” In short, worry robs us of happiness. But there are bigger consequences of giving into worry.
At the Last Supper, Jesus teaches He is the vine and we are the branches and it is through remaining in Him that we are fruitful (John 15:5-8). And in the parable of the sower, Jesus said the worries of this world strangle the word of God, making it unfruitful in a person’s life (Mark 4:18-19).
When we allow the weeds of worries to overtake our thoughts, they multiply quickly and choke out the Vine—separate us from God—rendering us fruitless and vulnerable.
If you struggle with worry, or know someone who is, Getting Through the Tough Stuff of Anxiety is a message you need to hear. In this message, Chuck Swindoll teaches about worry, why it is wrong, and how you can get through it. Give us a call at 1.800.663.7639 and we’ll send you this CD message free of charge. It’s our gift to you in the month of August 2010.
By Robyn Roste
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