Don't Be Anxious - Daily Inspiration

Blessed are the merciful -they will be shown mercy. - Matthew 5:7

Have you ever gotten yourself worked up over something when upon closer reflection it really wasn't that big a deal after all? I have.

So many of us spend our energy sweating the small stuff that we miss much of the magic of life.

This is a big issue for me. But my problem is that I don't just sweat the small stuff, I sweat the big stuff as well.

A few years ago I went to a tax preparer who was having a conflict with her secretary. At the time I had a more complex tax return. I was working in Missouri and living in Illinois. So, I had more forms to fill out.

When I went into her office to see if my returns were ready to pick up, the secretary told me that my preparer had lost all my information.

I was already stressed because the lady had made me wait three week and now I hear all my info is gone? You can imagine this, right? If I had been a cartoon character steam would have been pouring out of my ears.

The mere prospect of having to gather all my paperwork again had my head spinning. My anxiety skyrocketed. And this day was the starting point of a new anxiety for me.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. - Philippians 4:6

Eventually, I did get it all straightened out. The secretary had been lying to me and my info wasn't lost, but my preparer did file the paperwork improperly. I had to pay out $900 to Illinois that should have been waived since I paid taxes in Missouri.

The money was returned to me six months later. But a new anxiety had been born in me.

My heart still clinches at tax time, but I have made great strides in relieving it. I got a brand new tax preparer that I love. They make me feel safe and I appreciate that.

What would have happened if I hadn't reacted so strongly? Maybe I wouldn't continue to feel twinges of anxiety today.

My prayer for you today is that you don't sweat the small stuff and when the big stuff comes around, gauge your reaction and keep your head.

Psalm 139:23 - Search me, God, and know my heart;test me and know my anxious thoughts.