My plan moving forward...

In Isaiah Chapter 7, Judah's King Ahaz is in a political and military crisis, about to come under attack. God gives Isaiah a message for Ahaz. Basically, it's this:


"Be careful. Keep calm. And don't be afraid. The most important thing is to stand firm in your faith, and let God work out the details."


I am taking such baby steps to spiritual growth! Like Charles Swindoll said, it's three steps forward, two steps back. Some things I'm learning:

I need to separate my shortness of breath/chest tightening from the fear/anxiety itself. I need to stop beating myself up, thinking, "I can't/don't trust God." I can and do trust God. Yes, the physical manifestations of my anxiety hang in there, but that doesn't mean that I don't trust God. It's an ailment, a wiring problem.

What can I trust God with? My plan moving forward. Lord, the idea of mentoring/fostering a child is on my heart. But I have so many voices speaking against it. What about my own children? I don't want to take time away from them. They're still young: I want to mentor them. Money is always an issue. My writing--where should I go from here? Is writing about You in your plan for me? I want it to be, but what are my motives? Glorifying you? Certainly it's about glorifying me, earning money, creating and fulfilling some sense of purpose. I need to spend more time listening to You through Scripture and sitting quietly and thinking about what the words mean to me. The most important thing is to stand firm in your faith. What does that look like for me right now? I am going to try to pay heed to You today. Lord, tell me more about this during the rest of the day, would You? Amen.