Wandering Thoughts...

Is it just me, or do you find that your mind easily wanders?

A perfect example, was when I sat down to start writing this, only to remember I needed to send out some text messages before the day was done, and half an hour later, I now begin….

More seriously though, how easily does not only our mind wander in the moment, but the more life I live, I realise how powerful my thought life is, and how easy it can be for my thoughts to wander off course. 

There are a lot of places our thoughts can go, and one of my many go to’s can be that of “worry”. It could be as simple as worrying about a trip to the dentist, or as complex as worrying about a diagnosis you’ve been given.  It could be worry about how a relational issue is going to be solved, or worrying about how you are going to meet your bills this month.

I don’t know about you, but in this fast-paced life we live, with opportunity to be bombarded at any moment with news of another traumatic incident, I need some good tools under my belt to know how to deal with worry. One of my favourite passages of Scripture is found in Philippians:
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Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ.
​Philippians 4:6-7 (TPT)

Could it really be that simple? Is it even possible? I mean, Paul tells us not to worry about ANYTHING….

So if he is serious about this, how can I put this into practice in my everyday life; when I am overwhelmed and can’t see a way out?

For me, in this season of my life, as a Mum (or Mom now that I’m living in America), as a wife, as a volunteer pastor alongside my husband, my go to worry can be, “Am I doing enough?” If I let my thoughts go down that path long enough, I find myself in a place of discontent, and a little bit paralysed if I’m honest.  It can at times, feel like, where do I even begin? Who needs my time?

I am so grateful for a God who meets me in my mess, and reminds me, that He is with me.  This passage in Philippians gives me confidence that I don’t have to tackle my situations alone, or worry my way down a path that leads me nowhere good. He invites me to “Tell him every detail of my life”. I think we can get good at giving people the glossy version of how we’re doing and sometimes that can roll over into our relationship with God.  Can I remind you, and myself (haha), that God is not afraid of your emotions, or your disappointments, or your lack of faith in the moment.  He instead invites us to lay it out with vulnerability before Him, nothing left unsaid… and He makes this incredible promise in ret​urn:

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

​The “peace of God” is available to each one of us, and it is something that no earthly thing can replicate.  It literally is a peace that “transcends human understanding”. 
 
2 Thessalonians 3:16 says,

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

What if we I took God at His word, and trusted that not only is He with us, but that we can experience this “peace”, no matter where we find ourselves? If we believed that there really is no place that His peace can’t find us?

What are you going through today that you need the peace of God to invade? 

My prayer for you is that you would allow God into those spaces and places of your life, those worries that feel so overwhelming, and let His peace meet you right where you are at.  He doesn’t promise to always change what we are walking through, but He does promise His peace in the middle of it, and when we discover that peace, our thoughts are refocused in the light of who our God is.

Nicole Druskovich

​Meet Nicole. She's a Kiwi girl currently residing in Seattle with her hubby Martin and their three kids where they serve Churchome.

Passionate about worship and championing the local Church, she's been on a journey of faith as they've stepped away from the comforts of home to follow God's call. You can follow their family's journey at Learning to Soar.