Hello!
Welcome back to the Dorie's Stories {devotional} Blog!!!
This month the Texas State Fair comes to town! So, as an honorary Texan (married to an actual Texan), I thought I would choose to feature the devotional story I wrote about my favorite Fair game: whack-a-mole.
Speaking of games & prizes, the winner of this week's giveaway is: BRITTNIE CAPPS
(note to Brittnie: please reply to this email or send your mailing address to: info@doriecomedy.com so I can send out your HOPEFUL keychain!)
Note to the rest of you: stay tuned for more blog giveaways, I'm sure you will win next time!
From my new book, Hope Looks Good on You!: a Comedian’s Joy-inducing Daily Devotional for Women
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Chapter #15: Whack-a-Mole
I have a love-hate relationship with carnivals. I love the fun, electric atmosphere, the booths where the local Boy Scout® troop would sell birch beer, where the church groups peddled their pies, and where crowds gathered at the big, bingo pavilion.
The stage with a local band supplied music as a backdrop to the mayhem of bright lights and varied screams as rides took turns spinning kids and teens into a frenzy.
My issue: the games.
They beckon to my husband: play me, win me, don’t worry about how much it costs — you need that room-sized stuffed animal monkey.
I just can’t.
I can’t see spending all that money to maybe win something I don’t even want. I often wonder where all these creatures go...do people have storage units full of these mammoth things?
I must interject a bit of a confession.
I somehow own two 5’3” stuffed animal bears that my husband did not initiate the adoption of in the slightest. Each of my two daughters begged for one for Christmas and I can’t resist a good Christmas moment...with the bear and the bow on top. You get the picture.
I had to smuggle them into our home and I actually thought that I could fit one of them into a trash bag. The trash bag only covered his bear head; and as I tried to run him inside, it looked like I was taking him hostage!
Back to carnival games.
Whack-a-mole is the only game that tempts me. There is something strangely satisfying about hitting those moles...being faster, anticipating their next moves. Maybe I had some angst I was working out, who knows?
Anxious thoughts can sort of pop up like that. Worry seems to pop up in places we don’t expect. If we don’t stop these thoughts quickly, they can overwhelm us and steal our joy.
One morning, I was struggling with thoughts of some stressful situations as if they were just waiting for me to crack open my eyes. They were popping up...one fretful thought after another. I felt a sense of dread before I even got out of the sleeping position.
In that moment, God reminded me of my carnival days and I pictured myself standing in front of these anxious moles. I began whacking them as soon as they popped up, not giving them the chance to linger or take root in my heart.
It was the visual I needed to whip the worry, to fight my fears, and to stop the cycle of stress and anxiety.
It sounds simple and even silly, but I can’t tell you how instrumental this mental picture has been to help me see that these anxious thoughts just do not have a place in my day.
We will obviously have to face obstacles and can’t run from them, but we don’t need the worry to be part of the routine. It has served as an exercise in taking my thoughts captive.
Worry and fear will always be options. We could choose to embrace them at every turn. We could live from one mole to the next, just focusing on the stress of it all.
But God isn’t stressed out. He doesn’t look at the world’s issues and bite His nails or get a knot in His stomach. He doesn’t fret or fear. He doesn’t even feel the weight of it all.
Do you know how we can know that?
...Because Jesus took naps in the middle of storms.
...Because God sets up a dinner table in the middle of our enemies.
...Because He numbered the hairs on our heads in the middle of the chaos around us.
It has to do with trust.
We can truly trust that God is able to provide for our every need, give us wisdom in every circumstance, and carry us through every tough time we might face.
I think He’s got us covered — and any situation that might pop up. Don’t let the anxiety moles in your life linger: whack them, take your thoughts captive, and then trust in God!
And, who knows? Maybe one day you, too, could even win your very own life-sized stuffed bear hostage.
“Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.” Matthew 8:24 NLT
“You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.” Psalms 23:5a NLT
“And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.” Matthew 10:30 NLT
REFLECT & JOURNAL:
What anxious moles try popping up in your life? Take a moment to write them down and whack them by crossing them out and writing the word, “TRUST” over them!
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I hope you enjoyed the devotional excerpt! Feel free to share it with someone you think would enjoy a devotional story involving whacking the anxiety moles in their life!
Here’s the link to share:
With hope & joy, Dorie Mclemore
P.s. next time, I’m planning to post another brand new devotional story I wrote for my next (currently unnamed) book! Make sure you are subscribed to get the notification in your inbox!