I have this friend, who I am very close with and confide with him often. His name is Brandon Porter. He was a senior when I was a junior in high school, and we pretty much just came to be good friends, nothing special. Throughout the past few years we've listened to each others sorrows and joys. Sometimes we lose contact, but once one of us picks up the phone and gives the other a call, we pick right back up where we left off. This past Saturday we had another one of those "pick ups". Both of us have grown up and become better versions of ourselves than we were back in high school. I'm not saying that we were bad kids in high school, we just have a better understanding of things now. Right now he is going to school at the University of Memphis, he is also one of the baseball managers. Every so often he types out a spiritual thought and posts it on the baseball locker room's bulletin board, or if he believes it's an important one, he will print 32 copies and stick one in each players' locker. I must say that I really look up to him for that. It takes a lot of courage to share your beliefs, let alone openly talk about it to people you interact with daily. But the fear of being rejected by his peers or being thought as 'too spiritual" doesn't stop him. Porter is a great example to his peers and especially me.
Anyways, when we hung out he gave me two of his spiritual thoughts, and one really stuck out to me. It hit home so hard, I decided to share it.
"I worry a lot. I stress out a lot. Heck, I would argue that I am probably borderline obsessive compulsive. When something is on my agenda, it takes all my energy and sometimes stresses me out to the point where it affect my mood. If there are obstacles to my pursuit f my daily goals, I am liable to have a quasi-panic attack. Fortunately, there are two things that help me overcome this. One is anxiety meds, the other is Philippians 4. Philippians 4 is a great asset to Christians when life just gets too overbearing.
Philippians 4:6-7: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ.
Transcends...what an amazing and powerful word! It literally means that God's peace surpasses anything that is seen as a stress reliever. In this highly volatile world where people are on the go and preoccupied with keep up with the Jones', doesn't it seem silly that we try extreme and puzzling methods to relieve the stresses of life, when really it is as simple as trusting that God's peace can overcome? Now I understand that it is easier said than done, for I am guilty of anxiety on multiple occasions every day. But I have to admit, trying to apply this chapter to my life has had an already positive impact on how I view school, baseball, and all my other responsibilities. So I encourage you to read these powerful words and to put your trust in God whenever life gets rough. For God's peace transcends everything. What is more eloquent than that?"
There isn't much I can say after that...it was powerful enough. It's a good reminder that we need to put everything in God's hands and that we can always go to him when life gets tough. I'm grateful I got this from Porter, because those little reminders, that God's peace transcends everything, are always good to have.
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