Trust

As I waited in the airport, I could feel my heart beat as my chest pounded and I was a bit short of breath. No, I am not afraid of flying, it was life’s pressures reminding me of their reality. I typically do not experience anxiety attacks; however, at that moment the stress of life hit me hard. I reached the gate early to ensure not to rush only to learn that my flight was delayed by a couple of hours which meant I would miss my connecting flight.

The morning of my business trip, I left my three dogs in the care of my son, and one of them was very ill. I had no idea if the ill dog would make it another day or so and would wait for my return a few days later. I was anxious about losing her and of course losing her while I was away from home.  My mind was filled with all sorts of worrisome thoughts and then my flight was delayed.  After a few hours and lots of reading of the book I brought with me, the airplane arrived at the gate and soon we were able to leave.  The funny thing in all of this is that I remember thinking that it would be nice to have lots of time to read!  So, as they say, be careful for what you wish!  I read more on the flight out too. The moment the plane landed, I received a text message which let me know that my connecting flight had been cancelled.  There it was, more stress.

I headed to the departure sign and scanned the list of flights and the options I had available, which sadly, were not many. I stood there and could feel my chest pound, I realized I had to focus. I found a quiet spot and prayed and breathed. I counted to five as I took in air, I held my breath for six seconds, and I released my breath in seven seconds. I did this breathing exercise several times to clear my head and reset my thinking. Yes, my little dog was ill and close to death, yes, my flight was cancelled; however, those were things I could not change or control. I could control the next step and find a flight to get me to the original destination. I did the breathing exercises a few more times and made a phone call and was able to book the last flight out that night and still make the meeting the following day.

Sadly, my little dog did pass away and when I arrived home, we were able to bury her in a special place.  I added some plants to her grave,  her little collar and her chew toys. I do love her and miss her, and although she had been ill for some time, losing her was still very difficult.   Life and death are good reminders that we are not in control of things, life, and tragic events. This was a good reminder as to why I needed to breathe, pray, and trust the Lord for everything.

Stress can produce anxiety, and anxiety produces fear; however, we do not have to fall victims to it. We can take all that nervous energy and breathe, pray, and give all the pressure, all the stress, all the anxiety, and all the fear to the Lord so that He can remove it from us and replace it with His peace. His peace is real, His peace is healing, and His peace is nothing like the temporal peace that the world gives.  Trust the Lord for everything.  Remember, the next time you feel the pressure of the stress of life, and your chest pounds with anxiety and fear, stop, find a quiet place and  breathe and pray and ask the Lord for His peace.  He is there for you the same way He is there for me; He loves you.  Trust in Him.