Posted 9 years ago
I have battled with fear, worry, and anxiety my whole life, and this began crippling me as I encountered some very personal struggles that I was going through about 2 years ago. Instead of allowing me to be victimized by my anxiety, my doctor and friend, Dr. Peter Ritsema, encouraged me to take God’s advice. So, Dr. Rtisema pulled out his Bible, opened it up to the book of Matthew, and said to me, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Dr. Ritsema further urged me not to take on God’s work, that it is God’s job to worry, not mine.
I have so much to live for than to spend my whole life worrying about things and further succumb to the anxiety that had overtaken me. And Dr. Ritsema’s advice to help me break through this by remembering what God said has allowed me to really focus on what is most important in life. That way, I never miss a moment like the one in the photo above, where my 5-year old daughter held up a paper bag puppet she had created and exclaimed, “Daddy, look! Her eyes twinkle like she has a boyfriend!” That comment still makes me melt today and I am so glad I did not miss it due to preoccupation on lesser things. Now, 2 years after those difficult personal struggles I was facing, I continue to challenge myself to focus on all of the right things in life and let God take care of the rest. It is amazing to look back now on the struggle I was dealing with before and how incredible I feel about myself as a person today.
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