If a broken heart has come because of the actions of another, or maybe our own actions, there is nothing more important than forgiving those who have hurt us, and in some cases that means receiving God’s forgiveness and forgiving ourselves.

When Jesus was asked how often we ought to forgive those who have wronged us, His answer was seventy-seven times (Matthew 18:21-22). In other words, always forgive, as many times as needed. Since that is such a hard thing to do, we have to ask ourselves why we would do it - especially to those who have inflicted huge pain in our lives. 

We don’t do it because they deserve it. They may not deserve it. Ever! But, there are two principles we need to remember, one spiritual and one personal. The spiritual principle is that God chose to forgive us when we did not deserve to be forgiven. We did not deserve His forgiveness, yet He granted it to us fully and completely when we made him the Lord of our lives. Thus, Jesus insists that we forgive one another as He forgave us (Matthew 18:21-35), and to do so “from your heart.” Jesus actually says that He will not forgive those who refuse to forgive others.

Sometimes our “dark night of the soul” is the result of our own sinfulness or foolish actions. The amazing thing about grace, is that there is no sin that Christ will not forgive, and there is no situation that Jesus does not want to redeem and use for our growth and His glory.

John writes in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” The hard part is often forgiving ourselves! We continue with guilt and regret long after God has forgiven us. Although we may have regrets, we need not live with guilt once the Lord of the universe has forgiven us. If He is willing to forgive, we must be willing to forgive ourselves. 

There is a phrase I love: “Don’t resaw the sawdust.” The sawdust is the residual of our sin, now forgiven. Physically you cannot resaw sawdust, but that is what we often try to do, time and again, by constantly revisiting our sin. We want to learn from our sin, but we cannot wallow in our sin that has been forgiven. The thief, who comes to steal, kill and destroy, loves it when we try to resaw the sawdust. The Good Shepherd who comes that we may have life and have it to the fullest, tells us to let it go, for our sin has been covered by His blood spilled on the cross for us! He paid the penalty, and we can move on in forgiveness and grace, learning from our past, but pressing into our future. Without forgiveness of others or ourselves we cannot move on from our pain.

Father, this is hard. It is hard to forgive those who hurt me and it is equally hard to forgive myself. Help me do what You have commanded me to do, many times if necessary, so that I can live in freedom rather than in bondage to my past. Amen.

Life is lived either on the defensive or the offensive. When our hearts are broken, there is a time when we are living defensively - just hanging on, trying to get our minds around our circumstances, sometimes just trying to survive another hour, or another day. I know, I’ve been there. Broken hearts are deeply disorienting, dislocating our lives and forcing us to deal with our understanding of God. We realize the security we thought we had doesn’t exist. It can be deeply exhausting. 

But, there comes a day when the initial shock has worn off, when survival has turned into coping, and it is time to move from defense to offense. This is not an easy transition. It is far easier to live life defensively. It is sometimes easier to live in our own pain than to move beyond our pain. But here is the principle: Christ followers were not meant to live on the defensive but on the offensive.

Remember what Jesus said in John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Choosing to live offensively means deciding that we want the life to the full that Jesus offers. Otherwise, we allow the thief to steal that fullness of life and settle for a life diminished, less than it was meant to be.

When the initial shock wears off, what we are left with is fatigue, often depression, anger, sadness and uncertainty. And we face the question: Will I stay on the defensive, accepting less than can be, or will I go on the offensive and fight for what can be? The journey will be difficult for a while, but we can refuse to allow the thief to steal what does not belong to him. Remember, the Good Shepherd came to bring us life and life to the full, regardless of what we have been through.

One of the most significant offensive plays, when life has come undone, is the posture of our mind and heart - what we think about and what our hearts choose to embrace. Slow down for a moment and consider these words of Paul:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again; Rejoice!... The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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 minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is amenable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things… And the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:4-9)

Living offensively is not easy. It is easier to live defensively. It is easier to live with our disappointment, anger, depression and sadness, because that is how we feel when our hearts have been broken. And that is exactly what the thief wants us to do. The choice we make is whether we allow the thief to steal what God intended for us, or whether we push back and say, “NO!” I will not live with a diminished life. I am going to claim what the Good Shepherd wants to give me. I hope you will join me.

Father, You are the Good Shepherd, who came so that we can have life and have it to the full. You know the pain I have suffered and the wounds I have received. Now I ask You to heal my life and bring me toward wholeness and healing. Give me the courage to leave behind the wounds of the past and to press into a new future, full of Your grace and presence and power. Amen.

When life comes undone we are tempted to respond in different ways:

• Anger: “Why would God allow this to happen to me?” I don’t deserve this.

None of these responses, while deeply human, lead us to a healthy place. We do not control life’s circumstances, but each of us has a choice as to how we respond to them. There is a better choice and one that God wants us to choose: to simply trust Him in whatever pain we face. To join God’s hall of fame of faith in Hebrews 11.

All of us have scars from life. I don’t want just scars, I want divine scars. Divine scars come from times when life comes undone - when hurt, tragedy, pain, unfairness, sorrow, and difficulty come into our lives - and we allow God to change our hearts in the process. They come when we choose to trust Him in our loss, rather than turn to bitterness or despair. They are scars that have been redeemed for a higher eternal purpose. 

I am fascinated that when Jesus rose from the dead, He rose with a new body, but still a human body, and He still bore the scars in His hands and feet. In fact, Jesus chose to identify with us as humans from the point of His incarnation, and when we see Him in heaven, we will see Him in human form with the scars. 

These scars are divine scars. They represent His death and resurrection for us. They represent His willingness to follow, even when it was hard. His ultimate test came on the Thursday evening prior to his death when, through intense struggle, He chose to say “YES” to the father in those faithful words, “My Father, if it not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done” (Matthew 26:42).

God’s greatest goal for our lives is not to make us happy and content. His greatest goal is to help us become like Him in character and heart. This will mean times of sorrow and suffering, just as He faced sorrow and suffering. In fact, it is precisely in those times of hardship that He has the greatest opportunity to mold our hearts, character, priorities, and commitments.

And what happens when we suffer while following Jesus? When we choose to trust when the chips are down? When we experience sorrow as He experienced it? Paul puts it this way in his own life: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:10-11)

I don’t know your situation. Life comes undone in so many ways. What I do know, is that God will give you what you need today, in this hour, in this moment, and will continue to do so as you walk your unique journey. There are scars, but they are divine scars that will change you in ways you cannot imagine. And you are sharing in the fellowship of His sufferings. Allow this amazing fact to encourage you and give you hope: If you are sharing in His sufferings, you are also sharing in His presence, for this is a fellowship of His sufferings.

Father, there are times when I am weary and wonder if I can go on. I ask You to be what I need at this moment. Transform my scars into divine scars that will mold and change me and honor You. I rejoice that my suffering is not without purpose, and that in my suffering, I share in the fellowship of Your sufferings. Amen.

Let’s just say it. There is nothing fair about life. It throws us curves that leave us reeling, and sometimes we throw the curve all by ourselves. One thing I have learned in my own life, and in the lives of others, is that there is plenty of pain to go around. Everyone suffers that pain. Sometimes in private and sometimes in public but all of us experience it. So here is the question: If life is not fair, what does God want to do in our lives when we come apart? When our hope and our hearts are broken?

I call it the Ragamuffin gospel and it is found in Isaiah 61:1-3. This is what the Lord wants to do in our pain. And this is what He wants to do in our life. 

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor   and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”

Think of these adjectives: Poor, brokenhearted, captives, prisoners, mourners, grief, ashes and a spirit of despair. These are descriptors of those whose hearts are broken. Captive to their grief, prisoners to their bitterness, living with a spirit of despair and not caring about their circumstances beyond their pain.

I have seen many people like this around the world. There have been times in my own life where I lived in that gutter. And it is a gutter, a terrible place to be. Picture yourself there, sitting in that gutter, your clothes unwashed, your heart broken, your mind distracted, your eyes full of tears and a heart full of despair. 

Then, from a distance, you see a man, and he comes directly toward  you (yes you) with eyes full of love. He reaches for your filthy hands, lifts you up and says, “I have good news for you. Just for you. Made for you. I am going to comfort you. I am going to put on your head a crown of beauty to take the place of your tangled, unwashed, filthy hair. I am going to provide to you the oil of joy in place of your mourning and a beautiful garment of praise instead of your despair. Not only that but you will be a display of God’s splendor.” 

Would you ever be the same? This is the ministry of God, through Jesus, to those whose hearts are broken, who live in despair and who long for wholeness but are sure it cannot come to them. It can, and it does, if we will open our hearts to what God wants to do in us through the pain we are suffering. Embrace it, and He will embrace you. Open your heart, and He will fill it. Ask for healing, and He will bring it. It is why Jesus came and died and lives again. It is called salvation, redemption, healing and joy. 

Jesus, what can I say to that? Thank You. I open my heart today and ask You to fill it. I embrace  You and ask You to embrace me. I ask for healing and I ask You to bring it. Thank You for Your amazing love for a ragamuffin like me. Amen.

Like a tsunami breaking over our lives, it washes over us bringing fear, shock, and uncertainty - and we know that our lives are forever changed. In its wake, the landscape of our lives is left rearranged and unfamiliar and our brains struggle to make sense of a new and unfamiliar reality. These are the times when some event or some person breaks our heart and we think there is no way to repair what has been shattered. They are indelible moments that we never forget and the wounds can take long to heal.

It is not unusual for us to ask, “Why God? Why me?” But in truth, the question is, “why not me?” We suffer because we live in a broken, fallen world where disease exists, death comes, people mistreat people, nations go to war, justice is often scarce, natural disasters disrupt, famine and drought come, wars rage, and the list could go on. All of this is the result of sin, which infected the garden in the beginning and will exist until Jesus comes back to establish His perfect kingdom. 

The real question when our hearts are broken is not, “Why me?” Rather, it is, “Why would Jesus choose to walk through my pain with me?” Why would the king of the universe choose to enter into our pain, sorrow and woundedness with the intent of healing our hearts?

The prophet Isaiah speaks of the ministry of Jesus 800 years before Jesus was born. This is how he described that ministry: “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” - Isaiah 61:1 

In Psalm 34:18, David writes, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Here is what I want you to know: God has a special place in His heart for the brokenhearted and crushed. In fact, the Psalm tells us that the Lord is close to those who are suffering and wounded, whose hearts have been broken. But that is not all! Jesus was sent by God to bind up the brokenhearted. That is who He is and what He does.

Often, we focus on the wrong thing when our hearts are broken. We focus on why it happened to me, rather than on the promise that God is never closer to us than when our hearts are broken. This is vitally important to understand because, in our pain, it is easy to blame God and move away from Him. What He really wants is for us to understand He is close and wants to bind our wounds, but that happens only when we press into Him. 

If you are hurting today, if your heart is broken, take some time to meditate on Isaiah 61:1 and Psalm 34:18. Tell God your deep hurt and pain. There is nothing you can say to Him that will offend Him. And then take Him at His word that He is there with you, that He is close and that He longs to bind up your wounds and bring healing. 

This is what we read in Hebrews 4:14-16: “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Father, I thank You for a love so deep that You promise to bind up my wounds and be close to me when I am brokenhearted. I pray today that You will heal the wounds of my life and heart and start me on a journey toward full healing. Amen.

Worry and anxiety are real issues for almost everyone. David talks a great deal about worry in the Psalms - issues he could not fix, situations that he was concerned about and those who were his enemies and wanted to hurt him. His situations were no different than ours, but he was able to give those worries back to God because he understood God. Psalm 139 gives us a framework that can give us confidence in God when we experience anxiety and worry. Think about these six truths in light of the things you worry about. 

1. God knows you fully. “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.” There is nothing that God does not know about us. Nothing. He knows our situation, our wiring, our needs and our thoughts. 

All of these truths lead to the last words of Psalm 139. David prays this: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Why does David ask God to search him and know his anxious thoughts? Because he knows that those thoughts are not necessary and hold him back. He also knows that there is no need for him to live with anxious thoughts, given who God is and how He cares for us. The next time you find yourself in a spiral of worry, read Psalm 139 and pray His promises to you back to God. 

Father, I am amazed again at Your goodness and care for me. Your knowledge of me is a great gift. Your presence with me is a great encouragement, and the ministry of Your Spirit to me is a promise I claim today. Search me and know my anxious thoughts so I can leave them with You where they belong. Amen.

Life lived with God is a journey to freedom. It is a journey from selfishness to selflessness, from sin to righteousness, from facades to authenticity, from living by the expectations of others to that of pleasing an audience of One, from our sinful nature to a life in the Spirit. Every step toward freedom is a step in the right direction. Jesus said, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). Freedom in Christ is a wonderful place to live.

As citizens of a world that has been interrupted by Satan, we are held captive by many things: pride, independence, materialism, success, self-sufficiency, the expectations of others, sinful habits, distractions from those things that are most important, worry, fear and selfish hearts.

Every time one of those captive makers is stripped from our lives, we become more free, more like the person God created us to be, and our hearts more like His. In a divine reversal, what we consider to be the ultimate disaster can, in fact, be a freedom maker.

Once I have experienced a great failure, I no longer need to worry about failing. Once I have lost my self-sufficiency, I no longer need to try to be self-sufficient and am free to rely on God. Being stripped of our pride gives us freedom to receive from others when we need it. No longer do we have the need to be self-sufficient in all things.

When I have not lived up to the expectations of others, I realize that not only can I not pull that off, but I don’t need to. Another step toward freedom! Have you ever thought about how much time and energy we expend in trying to live up to the expectations of others? Authenticity means that we no longer need to work to prove something, but we can simply be what God made us to be. Our highest goal is not to please people but to please an audience of One - our Father. Again, that is freedom.

With humility comes a “nothing to prove, nothing to lose, nothing to hide” view of life, which leads to authentic and worry free living. Authentic living is about being who God created us to be and not someone else’s version for us, whether they be our parents, our in-laws or others. The question is no longer “what I have to do to please other people,” but what I need to do to please God.

Our main question should be, “What do I need to do to please the Father and stop worrying about what others think of me?” Not only will we not please everyone else, but that is not the call on my life or yours. Pleasing the Father is our calling. His priorities for our life, time, energies and heart are what count. He is the One we will give account to one day. No one else’s opinions will matter on that day, so we should stop worrying about the opinions of others. 

When we can shed the expectations of others, stop worrying about what they think of us and simply follow the path God has given us, we start to experience great freedom. As Paul wrote to the Colossians in 3:17, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Father, would You help me to live in freedom rather than in worry and anxiety? Teach me that Your opinion is the one that ultimately counts and that I need not live by the expectations of others or worry about what they think. May my life please You in every way instead. Amen.

Living a life of worry and anxiety is not what God created us for. Yet when we are preoccupied with worry, it seems like we cannot turn it off. We find ourselves in conversations, but thinking about our issues. We try to pray, but cannot get our minds off of our anxious thoughts. Worry and anxiety literally put a stranglehold on our thoughts, steal our joy and turn our days (and nights) into one long, bad movie of anxiety.

The life of Jesus gives us a significant clue as to how we can live without worry and anxiety. It is something that took me years to realize, but when I did, it made all the sense in the world, and I now see that practice throughout the Gospel accounts. It is this: Jesus was always fully present in the moment and, in doing so, didn’t have time for worry.

Take for example the time when little children were “brought to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and pray for them” in Matthew 19. The disciples rebuked him because they saw the children as a hassle. But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to these.” The disciples were distracted, but not Jesus. He was fully present and available to the children. We are not available when we are distracted, so being truly present is critical.

There are numerous times when Jesus was on His way somewhere specific, but the crowds kept following Him. In one instance, He was leaving Jericho and two blind men shouted to Him, “‘Lord, Son of David have mercy on us!’ The crowd angrily told these men to be quiet but they just shouted louder. Jesus stopped and called them. ‘What do you want me to do for you,’ he asked. ‘Lord,’ they answered, ‘we want our sight.’ Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.” (Matthew 20:29-34).

In these and many other examples, we learn a secret to Jesus’ life. Wherever He was and whatever He was doing, He was always fully present. He was not distracted by the past or the future. He was just fully there - in the moment - engaging with the situation or the people at hand. Being truly present throughout our day drives out distractions like worry and anxiety. The clue in this account is that Jesus, being present, stopped and interacted with these blind men. He was on His way out of Jericho but was still present for those who needed Him.

What did Jesus do with his own concerns? He took daily time to be with the Father, away from the crowds and other distractions so that He could be fully present with the Father. It was there that He left His burdens and concerns. Again, by being fully present.

When you find yourself being distracted by worry and anxiety, remember that this is not how Jesus designed you to live. Be sure that you find a time each day when you can be present with the Father and leave your burdens with Him, even if they are the same burdens you have left for days before. That is where your burdens belong. Only He can carry our anxiety and worry and He wants to do that for us. And then, rather than ruminating on things you cannot change or cannot control, simply practice being present where God puts you in your day and with the situations or people God gives you. Don’t try to multitask by being distracted by worry. Simply pay attention to what is in front of you and leave your worries with Him and for your time with Him.

Father, I confess that I am often not fully present in the things and people You put in front of me due to my distractions. Help me to learn to be fully present so that I can be focused on those things You want me to focus on, and to leave my anxiety with You. Amen.

The battle of worry and anxiety is actually a battle between fear and faith. We often don’t think of worry that way, but this is the reality of worry and anxiety. At its root, worry is about fear. Fear of what could happen or is happening.

Our world is driven by fear. Fear causes the wild fluctuations in the stock market. Fear that we won’t have enough keeps us from giving generously to God. Fear of failure keeps us from trying new things and stepping out of our comfort zone. Fear of what others will think of us keeps us from speaking up when we should. Fear of the unknown keeps us from following the promptings of Jesus when they come. 

There are many examples of fear in Scripture. I love the humanness of the disciples because I can relate to that humanness. They had seen Jesus feed the five thousand, cast out demons, heal the blind and the mute, and raise a girl from the dead, yet there were still instances when they found themselves deeply fearful.

One of those times occurred when they found themselves without Jesus in a storm and then saw Jesus walking toward them across the water. “‘It is a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’ ‘Lord, if it’s you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’ ‘Come,’ he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus, But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’” (Matthew 14:22-31).

Two things Jesus says here stand out. First he says, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” The command “Do not be afraid” occurs 365 times in Scripture, one for each day of the year. Worry is fear and fear is the human condition, but it is not what Jesus wants for us. Why? Because of His second statement: “You of little faith, why did you doubt.” If God is all powerful, all good, and loves us endlessly, why would we doubt that He has our particular situation under control, that He is with us and can deal with anything we are facing? 

We do not need to carry fear or worry or anxiety. Jesus wants to do that for us, and for Him, it is no burden because He is always sovereign over our situation. You see, the opposite of worry and fear is faith. Fear holds us back while faith drives us forward. Fear says be cautious in all things, while faith says, be bold in your followership. And here is our question today: Is our life driven more by fear or by faith? Caution or boldness? 

What do you fear today? Your worry and anxiety is nothing other than fear. Jesus would say to you the same thing he said to Peter: “Take courage, it is I, don’t be afraid.” Letting go is always about choosing faith over fear.  

Father, I have often been like the disciples. In spite of all the things I have seen You do in my life, I still latch on to fear and worry. Like Peter, I can have faith one minute and fear the next. Would You teach me to daily take courage from You and to give my fears to You. I want to live free and unafraid. Amen. 

Worry is the enemy of a life of peace. It is also wasted energy that saps our spirits, causes us anxiety, distracts us from issues at hand and leaves us emotionally drained. It is also antithetical to the life that Jesus created us for: a life of peace and childlike trust in Him. As Paul wrote to the Romans, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” How many of us would like to live with that kind of peace rather than the anxiety and worry we often live with?

We will examine how we can let worry go and live with a peace that passes understanding. The first key is to determine what we choose to focus our minds on. Here is the principle: All thoughts are either positive or negative. Positive thoughts that reflect God’s hope yield peace and a sense of well being, while negative thoughts yield worry and anxiety. 

This is why the Scriptures remind us often to fill our minds with God’s word. “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:15-16). Notice that all of these are positive thoughts rather than negative thoughts. Elsewhere, Paul tells us, “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 everything, 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 4:4-7).

Don’t gloss over these scriptures. They give believers the recipe for peaceful hearts. It involves allowing God’s peace to dwell in our hearts, thankfulness, letting the word of Christ dwell in us richly, rejoicing in God, presenting our requests to God with the resulting promise that the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. All of these practices drive worry and anxiety from our lives. In fact, we are told to give those worries to God and allow Him to carry them for us. 

Here is the issue we face daily: We must make a choice as to whether we will walk through our day practicing these principles or allow ourselves to wallow in worry. God promises us peace, but we choose whether we will access that peace or whether we will allow our minds to be diverted by worry. Anxiety is natural and each of us has reason to be anxious. But as anxiety and worry crop up in our minds, we have the option of choosing to give God our worries and dwell on the hope that He promises. 

I was once in the ICU in Thailand, on a ventilator and not expected to live. I had massive pneumonia, septic shock, multiple organ failure, congestive heart failure and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. They don’t sedate people in Thailand when they are on a ventilator. I was wide awake, barely able to breathe, knowing the prognosis and expecting that I would not make it through this second major illness far from home. My mind kept going to the thought that I would not make it this time. This was the end. I was going to die. Every hour on the vent was like 24 hours, very painful and I was on the vent for 11 days. 

I was alone with my pain and my thoughts. And I had to choose: would I dwell on the likely outcome or would I choose God instead? I made the decision to choose God and hope. Every time I started down a trail of worry I ran these words of Jesus through my mind: “Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” It was a battle, but I won the battle of peace over anxiety, regardless of what God chose to do with my life. I chose to let go of fear and allow God’s Spirit to bring peace to my soul. You can do the same today.

Father, I pray for Your peace. I pray that You would relieve me of my troubled heart and allow You to carry my fear and anxiety. Give me the peace that passes all understanding today. Amen.