Do Not Be Anxious

This morning I awoke feeling a great deal of anxiety. I have been stepping forward into something new career wise - and doing so much more rapidly than I expected.  Instead of starting out as a "beginner", I started out with more advanced stuff.  This felt like a push, but felt doable - barely.  But last night, I was told that someone really wanted me to do even more - a lot more. It would mean stepping into a role I hadn't even envisioned for myself until quite a ways down the line. I didn't feel at all ready for that and told them I didn't think I'd be ready for that for a long time.  Then I came home and stewed about it overnight, producing the anxiety I woke up with.  There were so many questions on my mind:

• Did I just slam closed a door that God was opening for me?
• Would it be a good thing or a bad thing for me to step into such a role?  What would be the consequences either way?
• How could I possibly do it?
• Should I tell them I'd changed my mind and was more open to their idea than I had said?
• What should I do?

The questions just circled around in my brain and all I could do was cry out to God for guidance.  This verse came to mind:

"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."   (Phil 4:6-7 NIV)

This verse reminds me not only to ask God for guidance and strength to do His will in this regard, but to present my request with thanksgiving.  Father, I AM grateful that I am doing well enough that they might consider me for such a step forward, (even if their request IS born out of their own desperation), and I know it is only because of you working in me that I've been able to do what I've done.  I know that though many things appear impossible from a human perspective, with you nothing is impossible. Please show me your will, Father!

I think of another verse - this one in First John:

"Where God's love is, there is no fear, because God's perfect love drives out fear. It is punishment that makes a person fear, so love is not made perfect in the person who fears." (1 John 4:18  NCV)

The King James version says perfect love drives out fear because fear has torment - and I've always agreed that fear feels like torment! But it really strikes me that NCV translates it "punishment".  When I look up the word in Strongs's concordance, I discover it actually means "penal infliction" - punishment for wrong doing.  This leads me to the question, "Is my fear really arising out of some concern about punishment for wrong doing?"  As I think about this, I realize I am indeed afraid of what people will say and do and think and what the results will be.  In essence, I'm concerned I might be "punished" for taking on responsibilities that others would consider "too soon" for me to take on.  Clearly, this is not demonstrating full confidence in God!  I am reminded of one of my favorite Bible promises:

"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." (Rom 8:28-29 - Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.)

And another:

"I can do all things through Christ, because he gives me strength." (Phil 4:13 NCV)

Thinking of this and accepting that I can do all things through Christ, this verse comes to mind: 

"Everything is permissible"-but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"-but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. (1 Cor 10:23-24  NIV)

This reminds me of another important factor to consider. This is not all about me, but about what is good for all concerned.

Father, thank you for your reassurances to me this morning.  I thank you for the blessings you have given and ask that YOUR will be done in this situation, that what transpires will be best for ALL.  If it is your will that I step into this role more quickly than I had anticipated, please show me that clearly!  If there is something I should say to amend last night's response, please make that clear to me. May I keep the good of all in mind, and may I clearly come to know your will for me in this matter. Father, I don't want to slam a door closed that you are opening for me - and I don't want to run ahead through a doorway that is not what you would have me do.  Thank you for your guidance, for your reassurances and for your love. Thank you for the peace you have promised. I love you, Father!