Take a moment to meditate on Exodus 14:14 in four translations:
Anxiety and fear seem to be hot topics for young people lately—for adults, too. In verse 13 just before this, Moses tells the Israelites, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today" (KJV, emphasis added).
Reading Exodus this week led me to wonder, what do you (or your mentee) do with fear and anxious thoughts?
Anxiety used to plague me. I used to let myself get so worked up by tasks, frustrations, hormone swings, sickness, changed plans, bad weather, deadlines…if it wasn’t the start of a sunshiny weekend with no worries in the world, you could find me anxious.
Over time (and through mentorship and letting the Word heal me), I realized I was making anxiety my go-to emotion. I was choosing anxiety first because it felt familiar. I realized there will always be external factors we can’t control that we can allow to make us anxious. And on top of that, the enemy causes a spiritual resistance against the things of God and what He wants us to do.
So gradually, I began to practice choosing peace first and letting things go, so when I have a hard day, I have tools in my toolbelt that prevent me from rushing ahead of God to speak or act too quickly in response to emotions. Consider sharing this with your mentee:
- Stop and stand still
- Hold your peace and be patient
- Surrender control and don't speak
- Trust the Lord and meditate on what's good
This doesn’t mean I don’t have hard days. And it doesn’t mean this list is a quick-fix that always sticks.
It’s a journey. It’s a process. It’s developing new neural pathways where my mind goes to the new familiar—peace—rather than right to anxious thoughts and things that never even come to pass.
I love what David Guzik says about this Scripture: "Moses told the people of Israel to stop. This is often the LORD’s direction to the believer in a time of crisis. Despair will cast you down, keeping you from standing. Fear will tell you to retreat. Impatience will tell you to do something now. Presumption will tell you to jump into the Red Sea before it is parted. Yet as God told Israel He often tells us to simply stand still and hold your peace as He reveals His plan."
Wow—isn't it interesting that God knew how much we would resemble the Israelites and so gave us this testimony in advance?
💬 From the Field
I couldn't wait to share an encouraging testimony I received from a mentor mom about her daughter. I pray this reminds you that as we plant the seeds, God waters them in our mentees' hearts.
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