Encouragement for Today

December 4, 2024 Why Anxiety Is No Longer My Name BONNIE GRAY Lee en español

“His love endures forever.” Psalm 136:1b (NIV)

I felt ashamed. I didn’t want anyone to know I was suffering from anxiety. At night, I’d lie awake, exhausted from insomnia. During the day, I walked around in a fog, overwhelmed with worries and easily frazzled. My palpitating heart and tightened chest made it hard to breathe freely.

On the outside, I was getting things done. But deep inside, I was afraid to prioritize taking better care of my emotions and body.

I was worried others would label me as flawed or as a burden if I stopped being “the responsible one” and taking care of others. Growing up, in my single-parent family, I took on this role to overcome hard times, and I carried it into my adult friendships, ministry and motherhood.

But God was renaming me to find rest with my Savior. God drew my mind to a powerful passage in Scripture where He assured His people in Israel that He would restore and rename them:

“It will no longer be said to you, ‘Forsaken,’ Nor to your land will it any longer be said, ‘Desolate’; But you will be called, ‘My delight is in her’ …” (Isaiah 62:4, NASB, emphases added).

Similarly for us today, no hardship, loss or rejection — not even anxiety — can label us because we are God’s beloved daughters.

Imagine God delighting over you. Does it feel awkward to accept this name: My Delight? It’s vulnerable to believe something so audacious as this promise from God: You don’t have to earn My love. You are My delight. Just as you are.

The world says the opposite, telling us to do whatever it takes to be worthy of love, acceptance, inclusion and success. The minute we make a mistake or fail to meet someone’s expectations, we have to start performing and striving all over again. We learn love can be lost — because whoever might give us love holds the power to take it away. So our worth becomes tied to what we do for others.

But God announces a stunning truth: Your real worth is anchored to who God says you are. He loves you. 

God pursues us because loving us — seeing us come alive when we receive His love, even in our most imperfect moments — brings Him joy.

Anxiety is no longer my name. God’s unconditional love has renamed me from burdened to beloved. “His love endures forever” (Psalm 136:1b).

If you let go of the labels put on you, how would you spend your time differently? What would you say yes or no to? As you prioritize proper care of your physical and emotional health, you can pray for wisdom to know which responsibilities to keep and which to release. You can set aside time to enjoy things that energize your spirit with delight. You can reach out to friends for support.

Whatever this day holds, you are loved. You are named by Him.

Jesus, help me say “yes” to what aligns with Your name for me — My Delight — and help me say “no” to what doesn’t. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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FOR DEEPER STUDY

Revelation 2:17b, “To the one who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows except the one who receives it” (NASB).

What names or labels have others put on you? How does it make you feel that God calls you “My Delight”? How does this name change your perspective? Share with us in the comments!

© 2024 by Bonnie Gray. All rights reserved.