Anxiety or worry is one of those emotions that seems to plague solo mothers.
I remember many nights when my children were younger waking up at 2 or 3 am worry over everything. But I’ve found a solution and I share it with you in this episode, along with some practical tools.
So if the weight of the world keeps you awake at night, this episode is for you.
I cover Anxiety (Worry): Rediscovering Peace in Day 1 of Courage to Believe 21 Day Christian Devotional for Single Moms. It’s filled with practical wisdom on connecting our messy emotions with the everlasting story of Grace. Now available in German, Spanish, and English in the free Kindle app. Download a free copy of Day 1: Fear - Learning to Trust and other resources at https://www.solomomstalk.store
Need to talk? You can send me a message via my personal contact form at https://www.jrosemarie.com/contact
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Transcripts
Solo Moms Talk: Episode 254
Rediscovering Peace and Casting Your Cares
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Hello Solo Moms, and welcome to another episode of Solo Moms Talk. We are at episode 254 right now. And I want to stop and pause to say thank you. Thank you for keeping coming back. Thank you for the interviews. Thank you for the five-star ratings and for the kind words over the years.
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Now, before I get into today's topic, I want to talk about the format for this podcast. This podcast was given to me by God in 2013. At that time, I was going through some things as a divorced mom of two young boys. God provided a forum for me so I could get healing and discover who He is. While contemplating a way to do this for other solo moms—to have other solo moms experience what I was experiencing—the podcast was the idea. So, I started it after a six-year delay and started to collect the stories of other solo moms.
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I didn't realize that years passed and I didn't talk about my story in the context of God being my Father and the one who brought me out in so many ways. So, I want to talk about that briefly before diving into our subject matter. I know many people don't "do religion," quote-unquote. But that's okay. We all have a choice to make. My choice is to give glory to the God who is my Father, and who kept me while I was alone when my husband walked out on me with a two and a four-year-old.
That is the whole reason I started the podcast: I wanted to give thanks to God for what He has done for me. I slipped up a bit, but I'm doing it now. God put it on my heart to write the devotional, which is more of my personal story of how God brought me out. I am very fortunate to be able to share this with you. For anyone going through emotional trauma or pain, I am certain that this message is helping somebody. The podcast talking about being bound by fear and trapped in survival mode has been to help a mom struggling. As Peter said, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, because it's the power of God unto salvation.
Thank you for hearing me out on this. I talk about God because He has been so good to me. I still have interviews, and I still want to interview more solo moms to get their stories so others could gain perspective on their own situations. So thank you for listening. I appreciate you.
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Now, today I want to talk about anxiety or worry and how to rediscover your peace—the peace found in Jesus Christ. This is based on 1 Peter 5, verses 6, 7, and 8, but the main verse is verse 7. It is covered in Day Two of the Courage to Believe 21-Day Christian Devotional for Single Moms. Check it out; the link is below.
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If you're lying awake, it's 2:00 a.m. and you can't sleep, and that is something that happens to you all the time, this episode is for you. Do you lie awake at night, unable to sleep, worried about everything? You're not alone. I remember when I was living in Brooklyn and my young ones were teenagers. It's a worrisome time for a mom. For me, those were trying times because they weren't old enough to be adults, but they were old enough to make some decisions for themselves. I worried a lot. For the longest time, I would fall asleep, but then I would wake up wide awake at 2:00 or 3:00 a.m.
At first, I was frustrated about it. I'm tired, but I can't sleep. Then one night, something strange happened. While I was lying there pondering, my mind working overtime, it's like God said to me, "Come talk to me." I felt a calm, a peace. I turned over on my knees and I prayed. Now, every night when I wake up feeling like someone touched me on the shoulder, I just think He wakes me up to talk. It might sound strange, but I have this relationship with God where He wakes me up, and I talk to Him. Sometimes I get the answers I'm searching for. Sometimes I have those weird feelings in the pit of my stomach that something isn't quite right, and that's when I get woken up to pray.
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If you have that problem—you're tired all day, and when you lay down to sleep, it just doesn't happen—prayer is one of my go-to tools. Communication with God, my Father. If you're one of those moms, I'm going to ask you to give it a try. One of those mornings when you're lying awake, frustrated, turn on your knees and talk to God. The reason I say get on your knees is because I found that if I kept lying down, I would zone out. But when I go on my knees, I keep praying.
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I want to talk about the main scripture, 1 Peter 5, verse 7. It says, "Cast your cares on Him, cast your anxiety on Him," depending on which version you read. The word "cast" is a very powerful word. In Greek, the word is epiripto. It means to throw with force or to throw your burden onto somebody else. In this case, it's Jesus. You don't simply hand it to Him; you throw it at Him because they are heavy and you don't want to take them back.
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Imagine you worked all day. You're tired, frustrated, and looking forward to going home. On your way out the door, you realize you don't have enough things to make dinner. The kids are already texting, "Mom, I'm hungry." You take the bus or train to work, but you have to stop at the supermarket or corner store to pick up a few things. Mothers being who we are, we find a few extra things we need. Before you know it, you're walking out of that supermarket burdened down with all these bags after a long day of work.
You get off the bus, and your stop is a couple of blocks away from home. You're carrying those heavy bags, just wanting to get home. Then, out of the blue, you hear, "Need some help with that?" You turn around and notice a friend passing by. They stop, offer you a ride, grab your bags, put them in the car, and open the door for you. What a relief, right? That is exactly how it feels when you cast your burdens on Jesus Christ.
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If we were just casually handing our cares to God, we'd be tempted to take them back. Imagine if you were in your friend's car and you said, "Stop the car, I want to get out. I'll take it from here." You get out, take your heavy bags, and start walking again. That is what it's like when you pray to God—asking for help with your son, your finances, or a promotion—and then you lie in bed worrying about it anyway. We took those bags back. We got out of the car and started carrying our heavy burden again. That's not strength; that's pride. That's us telling God, "I can manage it on my own."
I want to encourage you today, Mama, to discover how casting your care upon Jesus can lighten your load. Your problems don't magically go away on day one, but you discover a peace with the Prince of Peace. Jesus slept through the storm on the boat because He had peace, and He wants to give us that peace.
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Before I wrap up, I want to leave you with a couple of questions. Grab a notebook if you can and ask yourself:
What am I worried or anxious about today, and why?
What action can I take now to cast my care upon God?
Write the questions and your answers. Do some reflection. Here is a prayer for you:
“Dear Heavenly Father, help me to understand that worrying hurts me and my relationship with You. Show me how to cast all my cares on You so I can have peace. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen."
13:15] Scripture & Affirmation
I'm going to give you a couple of verses to read:
1 Peter 5:6-8
Philippians 4:6-7
Matthew 6:25, 27, 33-34
Matthew:
Today's Affirmation: I don't have to worry. God is in control. I'm throwing everything on Him.
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I want to recommend two practical tools to help ease your worrying while you are learning how to cast your cares upon God:
1 Gratitude Journaling: Studies show that writing down one, two, or three things you're grateful for right before bed enhances your sleep.
2 White Noise Machine: This was recommended to me by Dr. Sarah Silverman in Brooklyn, New York, when I lived on the corner of a very busy street with ambulances and fire trucks 24/7. A white noise machine will help you get better rest.
I hope you find this information to be of benefit to you and your family. I'm here to talk. If you need me, I'll leave a link below for my contact form. I enjoy working with you, Solo Mom. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to talk to you, encourage you, and mentor you. Thank you. I appreciate you.
