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.
- Philippians 4:6-7
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving week, and that you are ready for the holiday season.
Last week Sam and I went down to San Diego with his side of the family to visit his cousin and stepsister, who both live and work in the restaurant industry there. About 15 of us all gathered together to celebrate, and we had a wonderful, relaxing time.
Then this week - oh, this week. I found out on Tuesday that my application for permanent disability had been denied, and suddenly I found it very hard to stay thankful.
We’d been praying for the application to be approved because I haven’t been able to work since June of last year and we’ve drained our savings dry trying to stay afloat.
Now, it wasn’t a huge shock, since everything we’d read and heard said that fibromyalgia applicants are almost uniformly denied at first, but we’d been hopeful because I meet all the criteria to have been approved right away. But still, it was super discouraging and stressful trying to figure out how we’re going to survive financially during the appeals process, which we’ve heard can take upwards of 3 years. That’s a long, long time.
All week, today’s verse has been repeating in my head.
How were we going to pay our bills? Do not be anxious about anything.
I was having trouble sleeping at night, and was too tired to do anything during the day. In every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
I’ll admit, I prayed, I cried, I whined, I sulked all week. But you know, I did, and do, thank God. He’s always provided for us, and I reaffirmed my faith that He would still do so, in His time. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
And God is faithful. I had two good nights of uninterrupted sleep this week. My birthday was this past Wednesday, and getting so many happy birthday messages and gifts has been so encouraging. I’m thankful for my friends, my darling husband, my family. My mother just happened to ask about the application process on Wednesday, and as soon as I let her know, she offered to cover our rent for December. I have so much to be thankful for.
Friend, what, if anything, has been causing you anxiety and stress? I invite you to join me in presenting our requests to God, with thanksgiving for all He has already done, all He is doing, and all He will do.
If you want someone to talk to and pray with, join us for our Wednesday evening prayer meetings online. Or email us. Or talk to a friend, counselor, family member. We can get through this together, by the grace of God.
