prayer box.

"don't fret or worry. instead of worrying, pray. 

let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. 

before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. 

it's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life." 

- philippians 4:6-7 (msg)

this is a common verse that's quoted when we go through tough situations or circumstances.
it brings comfort and peace to our soul that only comes from the Lord.
we get on our knees, give it to God, and go.

for me, it hasn't always been that easy. i'm what they call a "worry wart".
i am always worried about something—no matter how trivial it may be.
i wrestle back and forth with this thought:

"if i fully trust God, then why am i worrying about something so insignificant?"

i read a book a few years back that totally changed my life. (in more than one way, actually.)

in redeeming love, one of the characters, susanna axle, is a constant worry wart. 

she is always worrying about anything and everything, so she started a prayer box. 

basically, she writes down whatever she is currently worried about, and puts it into the box and gives it over to God.

after reading this book, i started my own prayer box.

the process of putting the worry into the box has allowed me to let go of whatever it is that was occupying my thoughts at the time. 

once that worry is on paper, it's like i'm physically handing it over to God.

i know it may sound strange, but it has helped me so much.

the coolest thing about this is after 6 months, i take all the papers out and read each one.

if a prayer has been answered, i praise the Lord and give Him the glory. 

if a prayer is unanswered, i still praise Him and give Him the glory, because He holds tomorrow and there's no use worrying about it when the God of the universe is in control. 

He hears my prayers. He knows my thoughts, worries, and everything else. 

when i feel myself getting all worked up and worried over something, i remind myself:

pray. write it. give it to God.