Tag: Jesus

Let Striving Cease

Posted on by Staci Mauney

“Cease striving and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:1 NASB1995)

Since I started this blog in 2011, I have written many times about anxiety and how I often find myself living from a place of fear. It’s like my default mode, and I don’t recognize it until I am deep into it, exhausted and overextended and trying to get out. It often happens when I seek to help someone, to be needed, to fill a gap for people I wasn’t meant to fill.

If you’ve read my blog for long, you know that I’m an introspective person. Recently, I set out to discover why I keep reverting to this mindset. I find myself wondering, Have I prayed enough? Have I done enough? (See that—doing is the problem, but I keep trying to do more.) Continue reading “Let Striving Cease” →

Struggling to Set Boundaries

Posted on by Staci Mauney

“At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said, ‘I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.’” (Luke 4:42–43)

Have you ever struggled with boundaries? I’ve been working on creating boundaries—and sticking with them—for a long time. Somewhere along the way, I picked up the idea that a good Christian is always available when someone needs them. I’m a helper by nature, and when asked to help, I often jump in without thinking things through. This leads to frustration with myself, because I feel taken advantage of, and to exhaustion, because I overextend myself.

I’m a relatively cautious person in other areas of my life (meaning I typically overthink things), so why do I do this? When I’m asked to help, it feels good, so I want to do it. The helper part of me doesn’t want to see someone I care about struggling, especially if I think there’s something I can do to relieve their pain. What I’ve discovered is, I can’t fix things for them, only Jesus can. Continue reading “Struggling to Set Boundaries” →

The Rescue Attempt

Posted on by Staci Mauney

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)

If you follow me on social media, then you may have read the first part of this story. This blog contains the conclusion and lessons learned.

When I got home from work, I let my dog, Charlie Bones, out into the backyard, where he found an injured bird—a little robin. I placed it in a shoebox, lined the box with a towel to keep the bird from slipping, and with help and advice from friends and family, set out to keep it alive while it was in my care. Continue reading “The Rescue Attempt” →

A Limp and a Prayer

Posted on by Staci Mauney

Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise. (Jeremiah 17:14)

The past year has been rough on my health. Last September, my blood pressure, which had always been normal, suddenly spiked after a dizzy spell and didn’t go down for three days, prompting only my second ever trip to the ER. While in the ER, my blood pressure went up to 164/117—definitely scary territory, especially because I didn’t feel any differently. Months of appointments and tests followed that trip to the ER—appointments and tests that didn’t reveal anything out of the ordinary. Eventually, I was referred to a cardiologist who determined that my family history, rather than an underlying issue, had caught up with me. The good news is that with medication, my blood pressure is back under control. The bad news is that the medication zaps my energy and took months to adjust to, and there are still days that I struggle.

Continue reading “A Limp and a Prayer” →

Psalm 121: Lifting My Spirits with Praise

Posted on by Staci Mauney

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2 ESV)

I don’t remember when I first read Psalm 121. I was probably a teenager, reading through the Book of Psalms for the first time. The psalms have always brought comfort, especially as I learned the meaning behind many of them. They are full of emotion, praise, hope, lament, requests for vengeance, and longing for a better tomorrow. Continue reading “Psalm 121: Lifting My Spirits with Praise” →