Henriet's Blog

Age of Anxiety: Are We Doomed to Fear?

The first of a series dealing with fear. My goal is to write devotional posts to combat fear and choose "Fear Not" instead.

Why is Anxiety so Prevalent in 2017?

Fear and anxiety are common conditions. Over 18% of the US population age 18 and older are affected by anxiety disorders.* That's almost 1 in 5 adults. My son is one of those who struggles with an anxiety disorder. Anxiety makes life tough or at least a lot tougher.

These statistics (and those below) tell only part of the picture. In addition to those with disorders, many more people struggle with occasional anxiety and "regular" fear. I have that occasional anxiety and find myself being afraid of various things. Often randomly. This became worse during the 10 years of being the family member of a drug addict—that was a very anxious decade!

According to the ADAA (Anxiety and Depression Association of America)*:

• Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18.1% of the population every year.
• Anxiety disorders are highly treatable, yet only 36.9% of those suffering receive treatment.
• Anxiety disorders develop from a complex set of risk factors, including genetics, brain chemistry, personality, and life events.

Facts on Anxiety**

• General Anxiety Disorder or GAD affects 6.8 million adults, or 3.1% of the U.S. population, yet only 43.2% are receiving treatment. Women are twice as likely to be affected as men.
• Panic Disorder or PD affects 6 million adults, or 2.7% of the U.S. population. Women are twice as likely to be affected as men.
• Social Anxiety Disorder or SAD affects 15 million adults, or 6.8% of the U.S. population. SAD is equally common among men and women and typically begins around age 13. According to a 2007 ADAA survey, 36% of people with social anxiety disorder report experiencing symptoms for 10 or more years before seeking help.
• Specific phobias affect 19 million adults, or 8.7% of the U.S. population. Women are twice as likely to be affected as men. Symptoms typically begin in childhood; the average age-of-onset is 7 years old.
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD affects 2.2 million adults, or 1.0% of the U.S. population. OCD is equally common among men and women. The average age of onset is 19, with 25 percent of cases occurring by age 14. One-third of affected adults first experienced symptoms in childhood.
• Post Traumatic Stress or PTSD affects 7.7 million adults, or 3.5% of the U.S. population. Women are more likely to be affected than men. Rape is the most likely trigger of PTSD: 65% of men and 45.9% of women who are raped will develop the disorder. Childhood sexual abuse is a strong predictor of lifetime likelihood for developing PTSD.

Is there hope or are we doomed to fear?

"Without Jesus, I would not be standing," continues to be my standard answer when people ask me how I made it through the tough times. During the worst of it, I would find myself sobbing, face down on my hardwood floor, uttering out loud, "Jesus, please help me." Over and over. Sometimes for more than an hour. And He always did; He always helped. He would calm me when I was terrified about the situation. He would flood me with peace when my fears made me freak out. He would strengthen me so I could make it one more day. 

There is hope! His name is Jesus. In my journey, I've found there is no fear bigger than Jesus' love. I would cling to Bible verses to help me through. God's promises served as anchors in the raging storm with gale force winds. One of my favorite verses is from Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV):

Make it your verse in your storm. Jesus will help you when you trust in Him.

Please leave a question or comment. Tell me what you'd like to see discussed in this series on "Fear Not." And, stay tuned for the next blog on "Fear Not."

#FearNot 

Sources:
*https://adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics
**National Institute of Mental Health

 

 

Goodbye 2016, Hello 2017

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28, NKJV

Saying goodbye

I love New Year's! Celebrating the start of a new year continues to rank as one of my favorite times of the year. The fresh start feels great. However, this time the importance of remembering the "old year" occurred to me. 

God is the God of every day: Past, present and future. He reminded me to remember what He accomplished, allowed and provided in 2016. Often, in my eagerness to start the New Year, I forget to celebrate the previous one. 

2016 a year to remember

Romans 8:28 is one of the key verses God used to sustain me over the years, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." I definitely love him so I KNOW he works in all things—the good, the bad and the in between—for my good. (The good, bad and in between is from my point of view of course because all things are ultimately for my good even if they don't feel good!)

God made every day of 2016—just like he creates every day of every year. So I celebrate what God has done:

• Our family traveled to Europe for a trip of a lifetime in honor of my mom's significant birthday. We briefly visited Holland and hung out with good friends from England. The time flew by and we committed to go back to spend time with all the people we couldn't visit this time. Sorry if that's you! This was my first time back in 10 years and it was far too short. After the brief time in Holland, we flew to Venice to start our 12 day Mediterranean cruise. Spoiled! Awesome time. Great sights. (I know, no wonder I think God works in all things for good…)
• Living in the Northwest. I love this place. Mild summer, lots of rain, beautiful scenery. I'm grateful for every day here.
• Provision. God provides. Though it looked at times like bills may remain unpaid, God always provided clients and work just at the right time. He gave us each day our daily bread.
• Witnessing healings and enjoying receiving spiritual direction from wise counselors.

I choose gratitude for God's work even in the hard stuff:

• Continuing to support our son through his chronic pain journey. How very tough to see a young person suffer with high levels of pain daily. An interesting part of our life with lots of lessons on God's goodness and mercy as well as the process of learning patience and waiting for prayers to be answered.
• 7 root canals and 7 crowns for 2 people in addition to removal of 4 impacted wisdom teeth. Ouch! 
• A dear friend diagnosed with breast cancer. Sad but praying daily for total healing!
• Restarting "Hope Community: Support for Families of Drug Addicts." We launched this community in 2013 and met monthly for a year. We had a very meaningful time together but also faced much warfare. We were hesitant to restart this community yet felt compelled because of so many who experienced the same challenges we had. So we relaunched in April. What an incredible group of people who travel together through such tough times. We meet twice a month, celebrate, pray together, hope together, fast together, watch God work miracles in our lives and support each other as we learn to trust God every day.
  
  

Looking forward to 2017

Champagne and fireworks!

Our New Year's celebration was quiet but fun and filled with laughter. We gathered as a small family, played games, ate snacks—including the Dutch 'oliebollen' en 'bitterballen.' Yum. And of course champagne at midnight while watching the fireworks at the Space Needle (on television this year…hopefully we'll see it live again soon).

The first day of the year fell on Sunday. How appropriate. The first day of the week on the first day of the new year. We attended a worship service where the pastor challenged us to start the new year with the assurance of knowing who we are. It was a good thing to think about at the start of a brand new year. I will strive to remember daily who I am:

• I am a child of God, a believer in Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit.
• I live on earth for now, but Heaven is my true home.
• I know I'm loved and that God will work in every day and all things for my good in 2017 because I love him and I'm called according to his purpose. 
  
  

Happy New Year!

May 2017 be filled with God's Presence and love. May you have assurance of your salvation and identity. May you choose to love God and believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior so that you too can have God work in every day of your life for your good because you love him and are called according to his purpose.

 

Christmas 2016: The King, He's coming!

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.'” Mark 1:3, NKJV

It’s almost Christmas…

Christmas. Some love it, others dread it. Some started early and completed their Christmas preparations and shopping weeks or months ago. Others live for the last-minute rush. Some love the minimalist approach while others deck the halls and everything to the utmost. However, no matter your preference, approach or attitude, preparing for Christmas involves time, energy and focus…usually leading to stress!

When I look around, the evidence of Christmas rapidly approaching appears everywhere. People scurry around getting ready for the special day. Church signs and mailers pop up at increasing frequency. The roads tell their own story—lots of distracted drivers and the accompanying accidents. People seem to feel stressed, overwhelmed and far from the Peace and Joy this season proclaims to be about.

Prepare for the King

How can we prepare for the King that’s coming? John the Baptist prepared the way for the Lord by crying out in the wilderness, letting people know that they needed to get ready. (Mark 1:3) Not their homes, yards and cars but themselves. He beckoned them to prepare their hearts for the coming King.

When Esther prepared for seeing the King, she prepared herself for 12 months! (Esther 2:8-17) The coming of a king is a serious event and preparing for his coming a serious endeavor.

Preparing for Christ or preparing for Christmas?

Christmas day we celebrate that the King, the Lord Jesus, came as a babe in the manger. If you believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, your King has already come into your life. If you haven't yet accepted his Lordship and Salvation, know that the King is coming.

As I get ready for December 25, I try to focus on preparing for Christ the King. After all, it's not a celebration of tinsel, lights and wrapped gifts. It's about Jesus. How Do I try to prepare for Christ instead of Christmas? Some thoughts:

• Focus on Jesus. Christmas exists because He came. Jesus Christ came to save us from evil and give us a new life. He is the gift. (Trying to keep my focus on him is not easy any day but extra hard during this busy season!)
• Relax in Jesus. It’s about Him, the coming King. He tells us that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. (Matthew 11:30) Ideally, preparing for Christmas will be infused by Jesus’ presence and peace. If something stresses me and draws me away from Jesus for too long I try to evaluate if it's really important or just tradition. (This year there are still no ornaments on the tree and Christmas cards won't be going out.)
• Give myself to do less. He wants me and time with me, not the trappings. (Easier said than done of course. I always feel a little guilty when I don't get cards out or leave other "expected" things undone, but I want to enjoy Christmas!)
  
  

What is your focus as you prepare the way for the Lord? Is it internal or external? The King He is coming. Are you ready?

Oh, come let us adore him. The King, he’s coming! Merry Christmas

God, Why Do We Need Weeds?

So many weeds...

Last Saturday I spent a long overdue six hours in the garden. Not just over the winter but much of last year I neglected to keep us with the ever present weeds. As I sat on the dirt weeding all around me I pondered about weeds. At times I talked to God about weeds...after all he must have made them. But why? "God, Why do we need weeds?" (Same question goes for mosquitoes!) Have you thought about this too? I continued asking questions: "Why do weeds grow prolifically and plants struggle under the same conditions? Why do weeds return relentlessly even after the harshest of winters? Just wondering, Lord."

His answer...

Now I didn't hear an audible voice but had one of those random thoughts that pops in your mind when you talk to God or ponder in his Presence. The thought: Weeds resemble sin. Like weeds, sin doesn't need care of cultivating. If you let the first seedling of sin stay in the garden or youf life it soon multiplies. Sin grows fast, needs no feeding and is impossible to eradicate. Holiness and righteousness on the other hand require careful tending, constant minding and grow slowly. Sin easily overruns right living. Rigtheousness is hardy when you persist in it but when sin tenaciously persists, righteousness can fade fast. (Don't worry...I know theologically our positional holiness, righeousness and justification is unaffected once we've accepted Christ. I am talking about the day-to-day righteous living.)

Back to weeding...

So as I weeded both tall weeds with seeds in them ready to sow some more malice in my garden, and the little weeeds difficult to pick out especially with gloves on, I was reminded of the need to be equally ruthless with removing every aspect and presence of sin. Cutting the top off and just looking together leaves the roots unaffected and the evidence soon pops up again. Sin needs to be dug out continuously. We need to commit to keepig a clean garden.

Jesus said so...

In hindsight, this is not new news. Jesus taught about the good soil. Though he mentioned seeds only flourishing in good soil...it also means we need to make sure the soil of our heart and life are clean of weeds. To mix his parables...good soil is ready for good seed and produces 30, 60 and 100 times what was sown. But if we let the weeds remain in our garden then it chokes out the good and if the weeds get too tall we might not be able to figure out what is good and what is sin.

Back to weeding...

both in the garden and in my heart.

Jesus, our I am

If we know Jesus and believe in Him as our Lord and Savior, may these words comfort and encourage us:

I am the resurrection

I am the way

I am the truth

I am here with you always

Nothing is too hard for me

I was there in the dark with you.
I felt your fear, your shame, your anger,
your guilt, your frustration your deep sadness,
your confusion, your depression.

I was angry for you.

I am life

I am victorious

I can do all things

I know you

I am here

I am

 

Thank you Jesus!

Giving Jesus My Jealousy this Christmas

A passionate canine encounter

Belle the Boxer lathered our guest with love. She attempts to kiss those she likes. It's adorable and annoying. Max the Mastiff mix always tries to jump in, with an emphasis on jump. Max's participation and presence triggers Belle's jealousy. She worms herself in between Max and our guest(s). She gets swept up by jealousy and loses her natural joy. 

This happened again today. Our guest, a dog lover, embraced the canine attention with gusto. I appreciate people who can handle Belle and Max, our assertive people lovers! Although I was glad about the positive response to the doting dogs by our guest, Belle's jealousy bothered me. It always does. Jealousy looks ugly and unattractive.

"Oh no! Does God feel that way too?"

I abhor her jealousy. Suddenly a painful realization intruded my thoughts. "Oh no! God feels that way about my jealousy!" Of course we know God commands us not to envy (Exodus 20:17). I believe there's a reason: It's ugly and destructive. It also hurts God who loves us and it hurts God's people whom he loves. Jealousy is not good.

To be honest, I still struggle with jealousy and envy at times. I don't like feeling this way. Most of the time I choose to celebrate and am genuinely happy for someone's blessings but sometimes a pesky thought still occurs, "But what about me?" God's probably sad when I feel jealous of someone else's success, happiness or blessing. When I have those negative thoughts I've often asked myself, "Why do I feel this way? Or why can't I just be happy for them?" 

Enter Belle the Boxer. Seeing her jealousy helped me realize, in a new way, what jealousy looks like and how to combat it. In my opinion, her jealousy comes from a scarcity mentality. She lacked kindness and love in her previous life. Since we adopted her from Northwest Boxer Rescue, we've showered her with love and attention. Yet she still lives in this orphan or scarcity mentality. She always seems to fear she'll be left out or miss out. I always tell her, "There's enough love for everyone." 

There's enough love for everyone!

Exactly. This is God's word to me. He has enough love for everyone. How do we know? He sent His Son to die for our sins. He so loved the world that He gave…He gave himself (John 3:16). The Triune God is more than enough. His loves conquers all—it never fails. God showers His people with good gifts. Jesus is God's best gift to us all. And we're mere days from celebrating Jesus' birth. It's time for genuine generosity.

One of my gifts to Jesus this Christmas is accepting his love and spirit of generosity. I surrender my jealousy. His love is enough…more than enough.

Happy 97th Birthday, Billy Graham #BG97TH

Today Billy Graham turns 97! Happy Birthday, Billy. May God bless you today and always.

Thank you!

Billy Graham is the epitome of integrity—both in life and as a Christian. He loves God, has served faithfully, is leaving a great legacy, and through it all has remained humble.

His ministry affected me! In 1981, Billy held a crusade in San Jose, California at Spartan Stadium. My husband, Fred, and I went. My mom sang in the choir during the services. I was already a Christian but did not fully understand what being "saved" really meant. After Billy's talk, the choir sang "Just As I Am." I had no intention of going forward…but in a short while my heart was moved and my feet started moving. I went forward. Fred went too. We recommitted our lives to Christ. It was real. It was meaningful.

After recommitting to Christ, my life really changed. I grew rapidly in my relationship with Jesus. My desire was, and still is, to live for Him and have my life count and produce much fruit. The Billy Graham Crusade really was the beginning of a life lived in service to Jesus. All I can say is, Thank you!"

"Thank you, Billy Graham. Thank you for faithfully preaching the Gospel. Thank you for allowing God to use you to get a hold of me. May God bless you. Happy Birthday!" #BG97TH

Saying goodbye, remembering together, focusing on new life

Still, I know that God lives - the One who gives me back my life - and eventually he'll take his stand on earth. And I'll see him ... [I will] see God myself, with my very own eyes. Oh, how I long for that day!

Job 19: 25-27

Saying "Goodbye"

Yesterday (October 10, 2015), I officiated my father-in-law's memorial at Palo Alto Christian Reformed Church. Pastor Matthew Burns hosted us with warmth, care and generosity. The memorial was a family affair. Aunts and uncles, cousins, second cousins and in-laws came to support my husband Fred and his brother Harold, and their families.

The service was simple. Pastor Burns welcomed us. Fred and Harold shared memories of their dad…some funny, some moving, some unusual (if you were there you remember the dog story). As with any memorial there was laughter, some stories and tears. My part was sharing a bit about my father-in-law and offering the hope of heaven. 

I love officiating at memorials!

I do. I love officiating at memorials. It's one of the greatest opportunities to love people and share the Good News. 

When we believe in Jesus, death is not our final termination but our transition into eternity. 

“Just as the nine months you spent in your mother’s womb were not an end in themselves but preparation for life, so this life is preparation for the next.  If you have a relationship with God through Jesus, you don’t need to fear death. It is the door to eternity.  It will be the last hour of your time on earth, but it won’t be the last of you.  Rather than being the end of your life, it will be your birthday into eternal life.”¹

Jesus promised his followers:

John 14:1-6

 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Revelation 21:1-4

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and there was no longer any sea.  I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them.  

They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

For those who know Jesus, death is not the end. It's just a temporary goodbye. I hope you know Jesus! 

 

 

 (Rick Warren Purpose Driven Life, pg 38-40)

KLM Lost & Found…so adorable and clever!

My parents worked for KLM. That's how they met. We traveled a lot when my sister and I were kids…we love this fantastic airline. Now they're doing something innovative and adorable to help their passengers. Go KLM!

I love this KLM Lost & Found Video and I love KLM! Thank you for years of great memories.

God is THE ultimate promise keeper

In January 2015, I wrote a post entitled, "God keeps his promises exactly…in his time." At that time God hadn't delivered on some key promises for a much loved family member. We were waiting on God to bring him back into a relationship with Jesus—and with it into freedom from bondage. Sometimes we wondered if it would ever happen. 

God is THE ultimate promise keeper.

In February, our dear family member turned his life over to Jesus—surrendering to Jesus not just as his Savior but also as his Lord. We were thrilled. However, the road ahead continued to be challenging. As I struggled with the difficulties we all faced and the emotional pain, it became clear to me I had imagined one of those testimonial-type turn-arounds. I realized I anticipated our loved one would turn back to Jesus, see the light and be completely changed in an instant. Well, he was completely changed on the inside but on the outside life continued to be very tough. In fact, a lot of symptoms, such as pain and anxiety, increased in intensity. I could barely take it and life almost seemed harder than life before. I had not been prepared for the hiccups, bumps, immense physical and emotional pain, turmoil and confusion he would have to endure. I held on. We all held on…with God's help and the prayers of God's people.

God keeps his promises!

Through all the anxiety and pain, God held on to him. He was with him in trouble and delivered him. Just as God had promised through Psalm 91:14-16. God used the trials to strengthen our loved one's faith, develop his perseverance and refine his character.

If you are facing trials, hang on to God's promises. Trust in Jesus. God is THE ultimate promise keeper.