The Worry Living in My Foot

I’m a foot bouncer. I can’t help it; it bounces as if it’s running alongside my racing thoughts. My sister once asked if I had a motor in my foot, but really the motor is in my mind and its name is worry.

With motherhood there came a whole new world of things to worry about. Add in the current state of our country, finances, family drama, the real estate market, the toys I am constantly stepping on, and the week old pizza that found its way under my couch; and suddenly my thoughts are running marathons and my feet can’t bounce fast enough to keep up.

This morning I was sitting on the floor with my kids eating breakfast (cheerios off the floor because bowls are for chumps). And right on schedule my foot was bouncing and my thoughts were racing. Bouncing and racing. Bouncing and racing. My 1 year old daughter crawled over and rested her sweet little hand on my bouncing foot. I was taken aback. Shocked, she even noticed. Shocked, I didn't notice how quick my mind and my foot were going before I even finished breakfast.

Has worry become so common that you don’t even notice it consuming you? I’m right there with you (as my daughter's sweet gesture revealed). So where do we go from here? Well for one we pray that the Lord would bring more awareness (like a toddler touching your foot), so that we can bring the worry to Him as many times as we need to.

And second we read His Word.

A lifelong favorite of mine has been Matthew 6:25-34. I read it over and over, until it is louder than the worry. ““Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭26‬. Have you ever watched birds (I'm low key considering bird watching as my next hobby)? They’re simple animals, eat, sleep, reproduce, socialize-similar to humans, yet humans complicate everything. But the Lord advises us to be more like the birds, and in another section of scripture (Matthew 18:3-5) be more like innocent children.

So let’s be like birds and little children who only bounce their feet out of joy and whose thoughts never race with worry.

“”Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭34‬