Do Not Let Your Heart Be Troubled-

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

John 14:27 (Recovery Version)

It sounds so nice, doesn’t it? I don’t know about you, but my brain kicks into worry high gear mode right as my head hits the pillow. If worrying was a sport or something that could be on a resume, mine would be right at the top next to talents and achievements. 

The verse above was my mother’s antidote for all my childhood worries growing up; and if I wasn’t such a chicken, I would have tattooed it somewhere on my body by now! John 14:27 has been my anthem for so many years; but now as a mother myself, it has been not just an occasional reminder when things are hard, but a daily verse to live by much in the same way food gives my body its nutrients. 

When I took my oldest daughter home from the hospital, worrying for her became overwhelming (the part that no one warns you about) and consumed my nights more than my breastfeeding struggle. I was so convinced that she would be taken from me at any moment, that my prayers were a plea to the Lord. And like any new and sleep-deprived mom, they were simple cries out to Him to cover her because I knew that nothing of the world would give me that same peace. My prayers were simply, “Cover her eating, sleeping, and especially breathing, amen.” And to my amazement, His peace would cover my worry in those early days and as she grew in ways that were essential to my sleep and our survival. 

As she has gotten older, and my youngest has too. My prayers (at night especially), have morphed into more than just their eating, sleeping, and breathing. My worrying has morphed as well! I’m no longer in the newborn phase; rather, the stakes feel higher as my daughters take on friends, mean girls, big tests, and sporting competitions (just to name a few). I know that this trend will continue far past elementary school. It already has during the pandemic! But just as I start letting my worry take over, I am reminded by this sweet verse in John.

His peace is the gift that my heart, my life, my parenting, and my hope for my daughters- desperately needs.

 He is the antidote to my worry, and He is yours too.