Anxious No More {Habit 6: Say Thank You}

Anxious No More {Habit 6: Say Thank You}

In the midst of an overly full October—birthdays, a trip to see my parents, a church play, and a few other things on top of all the usual fullness of life with four children—one afternoon stands out. It was the Thursday before the play, in which both I and my kids...
Anxious No More {Habit 5: Lift Up Your Head}

Anxious No More {Habit 5: Lift Up Your Head}

“Thou, O Lord, art a shield about me. Thou art my glory and the lifter of my head.” –Psalm 3:3 It was the beginning of my first school year teaching all four of my children at home, and we were still working out the various hiccups in our schedule. My twins...
Anxious No More {Habit 4: Lash Yourself to the Mast}

Anxious No More {Habit 4: Lash Yourself to the Mast}

We were late for library story time. Again. We were always late. For everything. As I pulled into the parking garage—it was almost always full at story time—I started praying for a parking spot. And God heard my cry and listened to my supplication. There was one spot...
Anxious No More {Habit 3: Silence the Harpies}

Anxious No More {Habit 3: Silence the Harpies}

{Caveat lector: This post is long. Do not proceed if you are in a hurry.} I was 13 years old when I let the harpies in. I didn’t even know I was doing it. I couldn’t know how much damage I was wreaking on myself by opening the door to these shrieking uglies. Of...
Anxious No More {Habit 2: Cast the Circle}

Anxious No More {Habit 2: Cast the Circle}

For my 35th birthday my dear friend Susan gave me a beautiful old copy of Streams in the Desert, a 19th century devotional book. A week later my twins were born. One of them was in critical condition at death’s door. His lungs kept collapsing, and he had to be...