ANXIOUS: anx•ious, (āngk'shəs, āng'shəs), adj., characterized by extreme uneasiness of mind or brooding fear about some contingency

That was me last night. (And a little this morning.) But it was definitely more noticeable last night. It was after midnight. I was exhausted. Yet I was lying in bed, eyes peeled open, listening to my heart beat a rapid, unsteady rhythm. I love to sleep. If I can't sleep there's got to be something going on. And last night that thing going on was a sleep-depriving combination of worry, anxiety, and fear.

And as I lay there, almost in tears, praying that God would make this feeling go away. Praying that I would be stronger. Praying that some how, some way, this would be taken out of my life. Praying... I remembered this:

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

And I began to breathe more regularly. The fear was still there, but it was no longer controlling. There was a reason for my weakness: to proclaim God's glory. To show the world that I was peace-filled not because of my own security and my own comfort (how would that bring glory to God?), but rather that my peace comes from the Prince of Peace, my wonderful Counselor. This peace is not context dependent. This peace is to show the world my Savior.

"Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me... For when I am weak, then I am strong."