Trusting or Troubled

"Strive to trust Me in more and more areas of your life. Anything that tends to make you anxious is a growth opportunity. Instead of running away from these challenges, embrace them...I am sovereign...trust Me in all situations. Don't waste energy regretting the way things are or thinking about what might have been." (23)
There is a decisive difference between a trusting brain and a troubled brain. Different neuro-chemicals are released into the brain, impacting it in vastly different ways with different areas of the brain being engaged in the processing. It's no wonder that two different people can experience the same event and yet have two every different interpretations depending on whether they are operating out of trust or not.
I experienced this, seated between two other passengers, on a flight to the east coast. One was a seasoned traveler, casually browsing through the Sky Mall catalog, the other was anxiously peering out at the horizontal streaks of rain running across the window. My window-seat-partner was experiencing rain for the first time at 37,000 feet going 500 miles per hour! (At that point rain "races"...it doesn't "fall!")
While experience can certainly be a trusted, insightful teacher, it's God's Word that gives us eons of insight with promises we can "lean on, trust in, and be confident of" according to Proverbs 3:5-6. We have a God who is Sovereign "over every aspect of life" so we can confidently choose to trust Him. However... I've noticed, trust seems to come much more readily in some areas of my life while other areas are more challenging. I've found it interesting to make 2 lists...one list is the "Easy Trust" items, the other is the "Tough Trust" items of life. Whenever I bump into something that causes me to be anxious, I mentally add it to the "Tough Trust" list. Then, I ask God, "what would it take to move this over to "Easy Trust?" This activates healthier brain chemistry and enables wiser processing!
It's amazing how simple truths, verses, lyrics from praise songs or even common sense will challenge my doubts. Simply realizing that God is "sovereign over every aspect of my life" helps me to not "waste energy."
Protecting Peace of Mind & Brain Health...dmc