Casting our cares on Him

Today's post is just something that I want to share that's been on my heart;
I have been struggling lately with comparison and insecurity as all people do and especially women.   It's a struggle that is mostly mental instead of physical, but can still consume and bring you down.  The questions relate to my family, my role as a wife, a mom, a friend.  I question: "Am I a good mom?  Will my kids turn out okay?"  I compare myself to other moms and see my short-comings: "Do I teach my children enough spiritually?  Do I spend enough time with them?  Am I creative enough with their activities?"


I also tend to be a very relational person and acquire my sense of self-worth from the quality of my relationships.  I begin to doubt my sense of self when I feel like I feel as if  I'm the only one keeping up the communication in the relationship, then the questions come again.  "Did I do something to hurt them?  Is this relationship just really one-sided and this friend/family member only keeps up their end out of pity?  Am I annoying them for some reason?"  Then, there's the comparison factor - "I'm not as good of a wife/friend/mom as she is because I don't do (blank) or I do do (blank)"  an endless cycle of self-talk that can deabilitate.  So, what should I do? 


Well, I was coming home from a meeting the other night and was actually all by myself in the car listening to a message on the radio by Alistair Begg.  He was preaching about I Peter 5: 7 "Casting all our cares upon him for He cares for you."  A verse that I memorized in second grade, one that I always took to mean trusting God in the big areas like when Toby has surgery or teaching him to eat solid foods."  But, quickly I was reminded that it also means our mental anxieties, the things we try to work out in our heads; the personal struggles of insecurity, inferiority that come every day. It really convicted me and reminded me to give over my insecurities to Him to - to walk in the Spirit.  If I'm walking in the Spirit and giving each day to Him, He will show me how to raise my children, what events to participate in, what spiritual truths they need taught, which friendships to maintain, who to call and encourage, who to pray for.   Then, it takes the pressure off because since I'm obeying God and what He wants me to do, I can't do anything else.  I have no right comparing myself to others because their path is different than mine - This is what God wants me to do today - and no one else can dictate that or decide it for me.  Oh sure, there are the truths of scripture that we all must live by, obey, that don't change, but living by faith and listening to what the Holy Spirit has for me is all I need to concern myself with.  Of course it's always easier to say, much harder to live out, but I remember the scripture of II Corinthians 10:5 "casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."  I hope this encourages you too if you are struggling.  My mom has also recommended a book for me to read by Beth Moore called "So Long Insecurity" - haven't cracked it open yet, but will soon..I think it's time for me to read it!