"I love what St. Paul says in Philippians, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Phil. 4:6-7. Friends, so soften when we face anxieties and worries, we spend hours and hours trying to figure how to solve them, how to resolve the problem. But many times, those worries and anxieties are totally out of our control. No matter how much we think about, we can't solve it. And the more we think about them, the more we try to solve problems that are out of our control, the more we lose our peace. Too many people today are walking around without any joy, because they are allowing their anxieities and worries to dictate their joy.
But my challenge for you on this Monday is to do like St. Paul and not be anxious, but present your problems to God.Tell our heavenly Father what you are facing, what are your anxieties, and then tell Him how thankful you are for all He has done in your life. Listen, always ask yourselves when those worry and anxiety thoughts come to your mind, how much control do I have on this anxiety? If the answer is, "I don't have any control," then realize that thinking about it, will only take away precious time on this earth. Leave it at the footsteps of God and realize that no matter what you are facing today, no matter what is out of your control, it is not out of the control of God to resolve it. No matter what comes AGAINST you, it is not greater than our God who is INSIDE of you."
-Fr. Nicholas Louh
St. John the Divine Greek Orthodox Church
