“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

After months of being unemployed, with not even the sniff of an interview, I felt rejected, scared, fearful and even a little hurt. I mean, really, I’m well-trained, strategic, very collaborative and was promoted and praised in every job I’ve held for nearly 20 years. A corporate downsizing almost six months ago could have taken the wind out of my sails, but I didn’t let it. At least not at the time.

When it happened, I didn’t fall apart. I knew God had the situation under His hand. I knew this was part of His plan for me. I knew He would provide. I knew He was closing one door so He could open another.

But, oh, my restless heart. The first couple months were fine. I worked on my resume and started looking, but really, feeling no pressure. I prepared blogs, prayed over and wrote a book proposal, served my family and picked up a little freelance work.

Fast-forward to this week. I hit the 6-month mark with the “unemployed” label. Having never gone this long without gainful employment since I began working at age 16, I’m a little lost. On the one hand, I can handle the rejection of being passed over for a job – I’m convinced that there is a reason for it. But on the other, my insecurities begin to raise their ugly heads when there seems to be an airtight seal on the door of opportunity. It’s easy to start questioning:

·         Lord, I know you have a plan, but why don’t I know it yet?

·         Lord, what is wrong with me that I am passed over for each opportunity?

·         Lord, am I living out the Peter Principle and everyone sees it but me?

·         Lord, our family desperately needs me to contribute income and I don’t know what to do?

Just when I found myself whipping up a frenzy of self-pity, I cried out. Please, Lord, help me with just one step, just one assurance that you hear me. Within hours, a list of Scriptures came from various sources – strong confirmation that yes, He hears, He cares and He is with me.

Two amazing things happened.

I nestled into bed with my Bible and my list of Scriptures to devour. First, miraculously, I flipped right to the page in my Bible that holds my life verse, Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Those precious words, underlined and highlighted in my Bible felt like a hug for my weary heart.

After reading through the Scripture list, the message was clear. Give it to Him.

Second, this morning, a verse appeared in my inbox with the words from 1 Peter 5:7.  “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” Webster’s Dictionary defines cast as “To send or drive by force; to throw; to fling; to hurl; to impel.” There is nothing wimpy about that definition. Cast, to me, says let it go. And the next word – all. Not some, not part. All.

I had been holding back in giving all the fear to Him. No more. I am replacing the anxiety with peace because I know His plans are good and He cares for me.

“It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.” Psalm 18:32

Pray for your “one thing,” the email said. A couple weeks before the She Speaks conference, the team preparing attendees sent out an email essentially designed to calm nerves. Hundreds of stressed out writers and speakers were busy preparing talks for evaluation groups, book proposals that felt more like giving birth and hearts for teaching.


One of those stressed out attendees was me. From the moment I prayed about attending the conference, God was saying, “believe.” I posted a plea for financial help on this blog and in three days, the money came in. The stunning speed was more like a shout from Heaven telling me yet again, “believe.”

As I prepared my book proposal and talks, I felt the pressure of perfection mixed with the panic of doubt. The materials needed to be just so and I was taking that notion as an assignment I needed to complete. Alone. I prayed a lot, but I was not letting the word sink in. “Believe.”

As the deadline drew near, my materials were awful. Words, which normally flow pretty easily, had dried up. In a moment of complete surrender, I begged God to finally come rescue my weary fingers and brain. “Believe.” When I let go, He allowed the words to fill the pages of my proposal and crafted the messages for my talks.

I arrived at the conference nervous and lacking self-confidence. I knew the first place to visit was the prayer room. As I did, I walked right up to the paper that described God the Creator. "Elohim." My name was one of the names on that sheet. As I glanced up, a wooden sign on the table said “Believe.” My prayer was that He would step in where I could not. That He would speak the words I didn’t have. That His will be done in the meetings with editors and evaluation groups.

“Believe.” Yes, believe. Mercifully, the meetings went far better than I hoped. So did the evaluation group. Those reviews and the possibility of a publishing house considering my book were incredible. But the real miracle was the message. Believe.

Sometimes, when we are pursuing the path that God has for us, doubts and fear can creep in and begin to chip away at our resolve. We can start to believe the lies of the enemy as he tells us we aren’t good enough or our story isn’t strong enough to mean anything in God’s kingdom. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. God has placed each of us in the situations and circumstances we are in for His purpose. We never know who might need to hear our story at just the right moment to impact their decision to live for Him. It is an honor and privilege.

Believe. Believe that He can use any one of us. Believe that He is faithful and true to His promises. Believe that He is our strength and security. Believe that He will direct our path.

My “one thing” was “believe.” What’s yours?