Greatest Rewards

"What you are most afraid of is where your greatest rewards are," God Wants You To Know. This is the message I woke up to and I have to admit that it fits with this week. The last few days I have been plagued by fear and anxiety about today. Today was the day of the dreaded appointment, the appointment that held the potential to dramatically change my life, and the appointment that seemed like a key to solving many other problems I was facing. The importance of this appointment led to fear over the outcome and anxiety about not being ready or prepared enough for a successful outcome. I have prayed almost continuously the last few days about today.

Today's God Wants You To Know Message had perfect timing. The reason I was afraid was because I knew the rewards available and I desperately needed them in my life. Unfortunately, realizing your need for something doesn't mean God is necessarily going to provide for your need in the way you want or expect it to be answered. This is what leads to my fear and to my anxiety about the outcome: my focus is very specific to how the outcome meets my need rather than on the belief my need will be met. 

This morning's reaction to the appointment, prior to the outcome, showed me this is an area of real struggle. The other messages I was bombarded with suddenly made sense. The Facebook page for God's Daily Women had posted several images of Bible verses and other inspirational messages about God's truth. The messages seemed to alternate between asking/trusting God for whatever we needed and His presence during our struggles. Perhaps this morning, as I read these posts, these other messages were meant as encouragement for what lay ahead. Regardless of the appointment's outcome God would be there and that I should focus on that truth rather than on the outcome itself.

The appointment was a success, the burden has been lifted, but what I learned the most was changing my focus and not allowing the potential outcome to have such a negative impact on my physical and mental health. There was no reason for today's anxiety and fear. God held the outcome in His hand.