Lately, I’ve been struggling with anxiety—the kind that debilitates me a few times a year. Usually, I can feel it coming, and I do what I can to tackle it before it worsens. But sometimes, despite my best efforts, I cannot keep it at bay. These last two weeks were some of those times.

During these moments, I need reminders of God’s goodness and faithfulness. So, I made a notecard and posted it on my fridge. It says in bold letters, “Anticipate God’s goodness around every corner.” Under that phrase, I wrote the reference from where the idea popped into my head.

It’s from Psalm 23:

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

If you’re anything like me, you might worry about the future. Anxiety can blind us to the work God is doing in our lives. It inhibits our fellowship with Him while it drains our energy, and sucks the joy out of the present.

Our minds are often filled with “what ifs” like:

– What’s going to happen when that candidate wins the election? What will it be like to live in this country?

– What if my job has to start laying people off, and they decide to get rid of my position?

– Why didn’t my friend text me back? What if she’s mad at me and doesn’t want to be my friend anymore?

Most of the time, we worry about things we can’t control.

We know we shouldn’t worry. We know we should cast all our cares on Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). We know worrying doesn’t add an extra second to our lives (Matthew 6:27), and we know tomorrow has its worries (Matthew 6:34).

So why do we worry?

For many of us, the answer is that we want to know the future. We want to be like God in this way, having certainty and control over the unknown. Personally, I feel unhinged often not knowing what is coming around the corner!

But that’s not how God has called us to live. He’s called us to boldly trust Him, to do the next right thing in faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).

That’s why I need the notecard on my fridge. Actually, can someone tattoo it on the inside of my eyelids, please?

Every day, I need to be reminded that God is good (Psalm 119:68), that He is real (Hebrews 11:6), and that, as the song says, “His goodness is running after me.”

When I fear for the future and worry about things I can’t control, I’m not truly believing in God’s goodness.

This is like practical atheism. But the reality is that I know He is faithful and good, and He has never left me (or you) alone. I’m just not living like I knew it’s true.

Instead of going off the rails and thinking of every possible bad thing that could happen, why don’t we stop for a second to think of something good that could happen? Typing this feels like the most novel concept in the world.

If you’re an optimist, this is how you’re programmed. I’ve hung out with people like you, and I love you so much. The world needs more of you. People like me need friends like you.

But for a lot of us who are predisposed to being worrisome or cynical, we need the reminder that God is always doing something good.

I write about this often, but God is doing something good for us and His glory (Romans 8:28). It’s not always the “good” we think it should be, but it certainly is the good we need, to be conformed more to the image of Christ.

If you’re struggling with anxiety today, I encourage you, sis, to do the same. Trust that God is good and that His goodness is always with you, even in the unknown. He literally cannot do anything against His character.

Think about something good that could happen!

Don’t let fear of the future suck the joy out of your present walk with Christ. Don’t let anxiety stop you from worshipping.

Let this be our reminder to anticipate His goodness around every corner.

Questions for reflection:

1. Slowly work through Matthew 6. Focus on the context of when Jesus tells His followers not to worry. Write down what you see about the character of God. Meditate on what you see about His character and let that determine your worries.
2. What are a few things you’re worried about in the future? My therapist told me an exercise where you write the worries on notecards and every time you worry about that specific thing, you physically hold on to the notecard until you feel like you’ve given it to God. You will feel the literal holding of it. Use this exercise to see how often you’re worrying about something instead of praying about it!
3. Consider your idea of “good” and compare it to what the Bible talks about being ultimate good. Consider the story of Joseph and how God used trials in his life to bring about good for him and his family (Genesis 37-50). What is the good the Lord may be working in your life?
4. Spend some time journaling about times God has been faithful and good to you even if in the moment you couldn’t see it because the fog of anxiety. Let these reminders of His faithfulness and goodness build up your faith.
5. How can you encourage your other sisters in Christ to join you in believing God’s goodness is true? Next time a friend, parent, spouse, co-worker or whoever is worrying about something they can’t control, be the voice of reason that shares about God’s goodness.