A Note from Megan Fate Marshman |
Pastor, Bible teacher, and author of the bestselling book and Bible study Relaxed. Join the OBS with Megan starting April 20 - learn more here! |
What If You Didn't Have to Carry It All? |
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight." — Proverbs 3:5–6 The first step in your journey of becoming more relaxed, more like Christ, is to go to Him with everything." - Megan
* I was standing on my driveway rattling off every care and concern in my life to a trusted friend. She listened intently and compassionately, and in hindsight, I'm realizing she listened patiently. I felt the burdens to: - fix a relationship
- to stop being angry
- to be more patient with my kids, and
- to get better at doing my quiet times.
Once I finished my list, I was ready for her advice. |
A Question I Didn't Want to Answer |
She asked, "Do you trust God?" Her question really annoyed me. "Well, yeah, of course I do," I snapped. "I thought so. One more: Do you trust God enough not to have to worry about all of it?" Huh? What? But who is going to worry about all of it if I don't? My friend wasn't done. Her next question was "Do you trust God's timing?" "Yes," I replied. I jumped ahead and followed that up with, "I believe His timing is perfect, even if it isn't ideal. It is perfect. But that doesn't mean I like it." We smiled. She still wasn't done. "Megan, do you trust God's timing for healing it, fixing it, figuring it out, and solving it all, so much so that you don't have worry about it?" Geez. She was bringing me back to this: Go to God directly. The truth was I wanted to be at a later step. I wanted to run ahead and know the entire plan, display the fruit of the Spirit, reconcile the relationship, figure it all out—or at least just get better at prayer right now. What I really needed, instead, was her invitation to consider this: Had I even said anything to God yet? * |
The antidote to the burdens we carry |
The antidote to anxiety and worry and the burdens we carry is confidence in the sovereignty of God. God already knows what's on our minds. If God is in control over all and already knows all, then we have nothing to hide from Him. Our honesty is important so He can meet us where we're at. We try to do more instead of just being with the one in control, but that takes time. The journey God takes us on in trusting His sovereignty begins with a personal awareness of all the ways we don't trust Him. And then being honest about them. Wait, you might be thinking, you mean we can talk to Him about the ways we don't trust Him? Yes. It's not like the conversation is going to surprise Him. However, it might be surprising to us. It was for me. Anxiety is not the ultimate monkey to get off your back. Anxiety isn't even a sin; it's a signal. Anxiety is a light on the dashboard of your soul, signaling to you the very thing you can—and need to—dialogue with God about. The way He often works in my heart is not by taking away the anxiety but by creating a safe place to talk about it together. |
The first step in your journey |
The first step in your journey of becoming more relaxed, more like Christ, is to go to Him with everything, even with your anxiety. Not by firmly declaring "I trust You, God" while ignoring your worries. Rather, by speaking to Him about all of the worries and the ways you don't trust Him. Going to God with the truth—even if the truth is that you don't trust Him in an area of your life—is trusting Him. Trusting that He is the solution to the problem. Trusting that He will teach you how to trust Him more fully. He grows us and then transforms us as we go to Him. |
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{if !contains(profile.lists, "Relaxed OBS")} Friends, You Don't Have to Carry This Alone |
This is what it looks like to live out Proverbs 3:5–6 in real life. Not perfectly. Not all at once. But one honest conversation with God at a time. And that's exactly what we're going to practice together in this week-by-week study together of Proverbs 3:5-6. |
Join Me for the Relaxed Online Bible Study |
If you're tired of trying harder… If you feel stuck in cycles of worry, pressure, or spiritual frustration… If you long to actually experience the peace God promises… I'd love for you to join me! Join the Relaxed Online Bible Study today! You don't have to figure it all out before you come. Just come as you are, and let's learn to trust Him together. — Megan |
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{/if} If you've ever met Megan or heard her speak you know that she's hope, energy, joy, and sincerity all stirred together. One of the most frequent questions people ask is, "Is she for real?" She is. She absolutely is. The person she is on stages around the world is the person she is on car rides… the kind of car ride where you keep missing your turn because the conversation is just that good! Megan is determined to use her life to spread hope, share truth, and celebrate others. She holds a Doctorate of Ministry and she serves as a teaching pastor at Willow Creek Community Church and the Director of Women's Ministries at Hume Christian Camps. She invests her time in people, writing books and Bible studies, and exploring all over the globe, teaching and sharing the love of Jesus. Her most recent publications are the book and study guide Relaxed (2024), Beautiful Word Bible study: John (2022), and the book and Bible study Meant for Good (2020). Megan lives in California with her two boys, Foster and Jedidiah. |
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