Praise, Raise, Release...and Repeat

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Anxiety plagued me throughout the night. Sleep was found in short spurts and would inevitably end with a heart beating too fast.

When the alarm rang, I laid there paralyzed. Afraid to get out of bed. Afraid to face this day. Afraid to awaken to a life that is not perfect.

Perfection is a thief of joy. So is anxiety. So is fear and hurt and troubles.

All this thieving can exhaust us.

Maybe it's meant to exhaust us. Maybe it's in the exhaustion that we realize that we will forever be imperfect. Weak in our own strength. Needy.

In need.

In need of a Rescuer. A Storm-calmer. A Peacemaker. A big God.

Maybe it's in our recognition of needing a big God, that we finally surrender. Unclench our fists and stop fighting. Lift up those hands and start praising. 

We cannot fully live a life of praise to Him until we fully release ourselves of trying to fix it all.  

He's the ultimate Fixer.

We cannot fully live a life of praise to Him until we fully release ourselves of trying to make everything work perfectly.

He's the ultimate Perfecter.

We cannot fully live a life of praise to Him until we fully release ourselves from worrying about every little detail.

He's the ultimate Detailer. 

His hands are in all the details of our lives.

When we recognize that it's His hands that move us, we are free to throw up our hands in surrender. 

With surrendered hands, our mind can follow. We can surrender our anxious thoughts to the One who holds it all. All the worries. All the cares. All the fears. And, us. 

He holds us.

So let not your heart grow weary. He is here and He hears.

Open your hands in praise and let your mouth follow suit. Soon, your life will do the same. And in all the praising of our King and the raising of our hearts and hands, comes releasing.

Releasing of our anxieties. Releasing of trying to do it all and be it all. Releasing of viewing our lives like a game of chess, worried that the wrong move might wipe us out.

Rest. 

Find rest in this: We cannot fail if He is in us. We cannot lose because He is with us. We cannot succumb to fear if He is the object of our affection and the focus of our lives.




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