Practice Makes Perfect

“Then Moses went back to the Lord and protested, “Why have you brought all this trouble on your own people, Lord? Why did you send me? Ever since I came to Pharaoh as your spokesman, he has been even more brutal to your people. And you have done nothing to rescue them!” Exodus 5:22-23

How do you feel when things don’t work out the way you want them to? Probably not good. But I want you to think more specifically to how you feel when something that’s “supposed” to work, doesn’t. Think about when you study for a test and you just can’t pass it. Or if you’re trying a new recipe and it just doesn’t come out right. I have a friend who is a crafter and when she gets frustrated sometimes things get thrown out the window. Because when you work really hard at something, or it’s your calling, it’s supposed to work. Isn’t it?

I often feel like that with my daily conquering of Anxiety. I work really hard to keep my emotions in check and to not get worked up about things that are beyond my control. But then I have a panic attack or a moment when I’m not in control like I should be… and then it feels like I’m back at square one. If I work this hard at not having Anxiety, why do I still have these moments? I know some of you can relate to what I’m saying. Maybe your anxiety is more severe than mine and you get it completely. Or maybe it doesn’t hit you as hard as it hits me and you give yourself just as hard a time about it because you’re supposed to have it all together. First of all, we all have anxious moments and situations we end up in that make those hard moments harder. It’s part of being human. So don’t sweat it, I want you to take the next three things I’m about to say and make the most of them.

Number 1: Practice makes Perfect. None of us are perfect and we don’t live perfect lives. But if we work hard at overcoming our challenges and shortcomings we’ll get as close to perfect as we possibly can. There’s a reason I say that I conquer Anxiety every day. It’s because I know that each day is it’s own journey and a miss today has nothing to do with the success I had yesterday. Each day you wake up to new things and the only thing you can control about that is how you respond to it and grow from it. So keep practicing peace and prosperity over whatever ails you so that each day you can celebrate survival.

Number 2: Strengthening your resilience makes the daily conquering easier. Think about Moses and how many times he had to go before Pharaoh. Remember that Moses was very unconfident and didn’t think he should have been the chosen one. I’m a firm believer that God was using these multiple trips before Pharaoh as a way to strengthen him for the things he would face when leading the Israelites in the wilderness. Imagine how hard it would have been to deal with their mistrust and shortcomings if Pharaoh had just given in on the first go round. Nope, he had to learn to be resilient with people who didn’t trust his word, who laughed at him, who made doing the will of God harder, so that he could keep the faith and complete the goal at hand. The same is true for you when dealing with conquering anxiety. If the first time you had a panic you came right out of it, how hard would it be to deal with it coming back? Anything that comes easy the first time confuses you when it comes back stronger and meaner the second. But if you practice dealing with the hard parts, the easier parts can be even more enjoyable.

And number 3: Don’t stop trying. Moses was super scared of not just Pharaoh but of the people of Israel not trusting him. But he didn’t stop trying to do what God commanded. The same can be said for you when dealing with anxiety. Don’t stop trying to overcome it, and keep it in check, and telling it it’s place in your life. Keep pressing forward with your daily conquering and you will make it to that finish line, and in one piece. The more you try, the easier it can be. And remember, if you can’t figure it out on your own there is help out there. Find a counselor or therapist that can help you build that resilience you need to be successful.

Practice makes perfect. Strengthening your resilience makes daily conquering easier. And don’t stop trying. I hope that you can take a page from Moses’ book and put your faith to the test to overcome the qualms of anxiety. I believe in you!