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Bible Reading Plan

Reading Plan: Philippians 4:4-9

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

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Daily Devotional: Trust God and Live a Little

Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. 

Matthew 6:34

I asked my friend Dave, “So what are you going to do this afternoon?” 

He responded and then said, “So what are your plans?”

“I’m writing a devotional on ‘worry,’ and I can’t seem to encapsulate it in 400 words.

He said, “That’s easy if you look at yourself. I can do it in four words.” He held up his fingers. “Early. Before. It. Happens.”

For years, I have worn worry like a badge of honor. My dad worried about everything. I think he felt worry was a virtue, and I definitely caught on. 

My mom wasn’t a worrier as a rule. She, like my dad, had been through the Great Depression, but never thought the sky was falling. She trusted that Jesus wanted us to enjoy life and love each and every day. She didn’t like me in that ‘worry loop’ at all. She used to say, “Nancy, you think too much, you read too much.”   

Jesus has been working with me on this for the last few years. He taught us about living differently, stating, “Each day has enough to worry about on its own.” 

But right after I read this verse, I began catastrophizing about WW3 starting soon. Then I sensed Jesus saying, “Nancy, I’ve got this. Worrying is not helping you.”

Praying is truly the best and only thing I should do when I begin to spiral, then confess my sin of worry. The Holy Spirit, whom Jesus left here on Earth, helps me daily.

My mom was still teaching me about this all the way into my sixties. She was living with Alzheimer’s disease, and I went over to her house to surprise her. I couldn’t find her and started to panic, so I opened the basement door. There she stood, laundry basket in hand, smiling up at me.

God’s voice through my mom’s, “Aww, Nancy, when are you going to get this? Sometimes you just need to live a little.”

And now at age seventy, I’m determined to live into that legacy of faith and trust to “just live a little,” with the Holy Spirit’s help, of course.

Next Steps

Every morning when I wake up, I look at myself in the mirror and say, “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” I used to sing and dance to this song before school started!