Sometimes I worry so much I make myself sick to my stomach.
Physically sick.
Not able to eat anything for days sick.
Sometimes I get in my car on the way to a meeting or an errand and think, “I could just keep driving forever…it’s the only way out of this mess.”
The heart loses hope easily.
(At least this girl’s does.)
As I’ve found myself in precarious situations, I’ve started taking my own advice and speaking freely.
Opening up to friends.
Seeking wise counsel.
Listening…
Confession is never an easy thing.
It’s never easy to look someone in the eyes and say, “I screwed this up,” or “I have no idea what to do,” or “I’m totally losing my mind here,” or…
“I.
Need.
Help.”
But the freedom that follows, that washes over our worried, tired hearts gives us a sense of peace.
Confess to each other, so you can live together whole and healed.
It’s not a physical healing.
It’s a lifting of a burden off one’s spirit.
That’s actually what that verse in James 5 means.
So…
If you’re feeling heavy…
weighed down…
alone…
ashamed…
confused…
afraid…
helpless…
tired…
Confess.
Be healed.
(Trust me.)
Worry, be lifted. Be carried by others. Be carried by grace.
Comments
36 responses to “Worry, Be Lifted”
Thank You for sharing. I can get my self worked up to the point of physical sickness in a matter of 5 minutes. I wish I had a release, someone to talk to but not so. Maybe someday I will find someone that I can share that anxiety with.
I just got your book in the mail today. Looking forward to reading it & being free.
Oh my. That was beautiful. And perfect.
release.
and it’s one thing to go there in your head and another to actually O P E N up with others. I used to freak out about the confess you sins to one another cuz I saw it through shame/guilt’s lens. H O P E is found in the one anothers and freedom of the gospel. G R A C E
Think I will forever be growing into this new way, but His life is irresistible!
(it’s just a long journey to grow into it).
thanks anne.
I do the same thing! I hate that feeling of sickness that comes over me so quickly, I can’t focus on anything.
I’ll try your advice next time. I’m up for anything that helps!
I am a constant worrier. In fact I think the reason I’ve had an upset stomach since Sunday was stress from starting a new semester at college.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for this post, from the bottom of my heart.
great comments. it’s interesting that this james 5 text is the only place where we find confession and healing together. lots of passages explain that if we confess our sins to God, he will forgive us. but only in james 5 do we find a healing that follows this forgiveness — and it comes on the tail end of confessing our sins to one another.
there’s something about christians offering one another a God-like forgiveness, caring, and concern that’s important for healing. how many times have we confessed something to God, only to still carry around great guilt. we KNOW in our brains that we’re forgiven, but we don’t FEEL in our hearts to be forgiven. i believe that’s where other christians come in. they extend to us in tangible human form the forgiveness God has already granted. and we heal.
yep. that’s it my friend. thx for that morning tear:)
Nothing is wasted.
Awesome. Thank God for grace.
Beautiful. Thank you for this.
this couldn’t have come at a better time for me. something happened this week. i’ve been so sick over it that i have eaten only once in 2 days, my blood sugar got so low that i almost passed out at the grocery store, and i haven’t slept well. i have worried and stressed bc i just want this junk to stop. i just want peace. life’s too short. i don’t want to spend it being miserable.
Love this. Perfectly said. Thank you!
Everything you wrote is spot on and makes me want to cry. But, speaking freely, it’s all easier said than done (for me anyway). I’m finding that even in Christiandom today everyone is running the same American rat race and having a good friend to share things with, who will sit and listen and be still with you, who will love unconditionally…. a “friend with skin on” is pretty hard to find.
on the flip side of the same coin….
when we see someone in need, struggling, sad, lost….we need to put aside our worries of meddling, getting rejected or ignored and BE there. be there for someone who is hurting. listen. hug. say something encouraging. let them know you are there…..
Sometimes i seem to have more faith for others than i do myself and i get off track and walk in worry. Thank you for the gentle reminder to open up to others.
@jen so true. Our family feels like we r drowning in medical debt but yesterday met with a super young couple with a small baby who need help. It felt so good to put aside our concerns and reach out to them and give them hope.
What a way for this “worrier” to start the morning. Thank you Anne
Good things, like healing and community and peace, come to us when we find safe people, humble ourselves, become vulnerable and real. And we find we’re not alone.
Your book arrived from Amazon yesterday – I loved paging through it … it looks like it’s going to feed my soul.
We’re all thirsty …
This is so true for everyone. It’s not just a female thing. I get to the point every now and then where I literally think, “Is this all like is?” It’s amazing how sharing that feeling changes that feeling. Love this post!
This is so true for everyone. It’s not just a female thing. I get to the point every now and then where I literally think, “Is this all life is?” It’s amazing how sharing that feeling changes that feeling. Love this post!
Timely. Just going thru this same thing. Struggles over care for our foster child (we’ve had 2 years, since birth), who is transitioning into a very chaotic family situation (though a little less so now that Mom & Dad are off drugs). Sick to my stomach over it all. My pastor reminded me that we’ve never been in control of this situation BUT GOD IS and that we have an opportunity to walk things out in a way that gives God the glory, even if we don’t like the situation. We prayed, it made all the difference… but it NEVER would have happened if I didn’t CONFESS MY STRUGGLES.
Now, if I had only learned this lesson 20 years ago, some of my other struggles would have had so much less power over me!
Anne, I have been thinking about confession some lately. Maybe you touch on this in your book. I look forward to reading it, but if you don’t touch on it, then sometime I would love to hear your heart about the conflict that can arise from confession. I believe confession to be healing, healthy, and Biblical, but I am still processing through a time where I was rebuked and told it was wrong to confess because my story interrelated to others and what I said revealed things about them that they did not want known. Yet, that confession actually released something in me because I had been living in silence and finally felt free to be authentic and real.
How do we balance confession, transparency, and authenticity with respect for those who share our stories? I feel trapped in secrecy because I am trying to love and respect others, and some days the weight is so heavy.
Excellent Anne. The “keep driving forever” is my phrase I use also!! I know I don’t mean it, but it’s good to use by me when I feel bound up, around non-trusting,over bearing people. It makes me cringe when I know they are NOT telling the truth! Great blog! You always hit the nail right on the head! Thank you!!!
Thank you for sharing this. I just got your book in the mail yesterday and am looking forward to digging into it this weekend. For me, though, saying I need help isn’t always hard. Its finding someone who can help. Some days I feel so overwhelmed I can barely function. But figuring out who can help…that’s my struggle. I’m praying God will guide me to some helpers in my life right now.
I understand you – and I agree… in principle, anyway…
But in my life at the moment, confession has led to betrayal of trust… as people I HAVEN’T confessed to know about my situation… and it seems to be spreading like wildfire…
Makes me not want to confess anymore.
Just saying.
sorry to hear that…maybe we should make sure we are accountable to God and confess to him and leave it there unless he directs otherwise..you are a brutha! love ya
Thanks for your love and support, my sis … you’re the first blog friend I made and you always have a special place in my heart ?
LOL That was supposed to be a heart (<3) not a question mark! LOL
worry be lifted…..i fall into this so often, and its hard to tell someone else…but the freeing at the same time. I love how you spelled it out here..thanks
This is some good stuff, Anne. Thanks for that.
Thanks for the reminder that confession leads to healing. Often, we just need to confess our burdens in prayer so that the Lord can rightfully take them. I just put together a study of worry on our site, and I was struck by Jesus’ command not to worry. If we are obedient, then we will work to stop worrying in the first place. For me, I’ve found that as I focus upon the love, power and help that the Lord has for me, I can turn my worries into a problem that can be handed to the Lord, and take the emotional component out of it.
It’s so easy for me to jump to the “worst case scenario” in my mind. So much of the time I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. I keep expecting a, b, or c to happen and the reality is normally X…. none of the above. It’s always something different. I’ve learned to make sure I always have good friends who I can call when my head is so far up my posterior that I can’t breathe who can come and help me pull my head out. They also know me well enough that when I disappear they might need to send out an expeditionary party to look for me. It’s not that they can fix the stuff or make it go away… but they are a great reminder that I’m loved and that we are all broken somehow. There is incredible healing in being with other believers who I can be myself with no matter how raw or anxiety filled I get.
Good stuff Anne, and very timely for me personally. Thank you for being faithful.
BTW – I am having issues with taking your Facebook feeds. Not sure if that’s you or me. Has anyone else had problems connecting with the articles on FB?
i recently pushed past the fear and uttered some difficult words to a friend: “i am not okay. i need help.”
she responded with words of encouragement and love. i could hear the care and concern in her voice. she promised to be praying faithfully for me.
and now here i sit, reading your post, wondering why i didn’t get that burden-lifted feeling. why i still feel just the same as i did before those words passed over my lips. and if i’m just waiting around for some nonexistent lightning flash experience.
“worry, be lifted.” even if i don’t feel it…
exactly.
my heart is heavy and somedays heavier after i speak.
i think it is something that is being lifted….maybe like a springboard, where it pushes down a bit before it begins to spring up.
i so wish there were magic formulas.