Greetings from Austin Street

Happy Tuesday!  Bruce must have worked super hard at rehab today because he came home and slept until dinner was ready.  Geni has not been feeling well and so she came over and promptly fell asleep on the couch. So this afternoon was pretty quiet.  Quiet around here is sort of unusual.

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert.”

1 Peter 5: 7-8

I keep a pretty close eye on Bruce. When there is any change in behavior I always become concerned. I think I become concerned because there were no symptoms prior to Bruce having the stroke and so I am very conscious of his behavior, movements, speech etc…Anxiety can be toxic.  In the scripture passage tonight God’s Word calls for us to “Cast AII your anxieties on Him because He cares for you.” Our human emotions can change so many things about us. They can determine or moods, our eating habits, our sleeping and the way we respond to others. Some of us tend to bottle up our anxious feelings pretending that everything is ok.  When the Word tells us to be alert I think that means for us to be able to name the anxiety and confess it to God. Then ask the Holy Spirit to help us work through this yielding our anxious souls to the healing work of God within us.  When we practice this then maybe we will remember to name the anxiety, confess it to God and then ask for help and the level of the anxiety will go down. The Holy Spirit of God can accomplish changes in us through love. We then can experience joy and peace. God can accomplish more than we can imagine or ask.  God is good and love wins.

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope does not disappoint. Wear comfortable shoes, pray with a heart filled with gratitude, cast all our cares upon the LORD and get some sleep. God is up all night anyway so there is no reason for all of us to be awake.  Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene