I heard my daughter use a word that made me stop in my tracks. UNBOTHERED.

I asked, “What does that even mean? UNBOTHERED?” She smirked a bit, sensing my irritation.
I walked away, annoyed and a little confused by her nonchalant attitude. Unbothered? How is anyone UNBOTHERED these days?

Well, I thought, let me sit with this for a moment and do a little investigating. Turns out unbothered is an adjective that means: “not feeling or showing agitation, worry, or annoyance: not bothered.” (From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary website, http://www.merriam-webster.com)

Don’t misunderstand. I knew what the word meant. I just couldn’t believe people could really feel that way; not with all the chaos going on in today’s world. I have been fighting anxiety and stress like a heavy-weight boxer for the last 3 months!

The Word of God says this about anxiety:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, through prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, make your request known to God. Then the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4: 6, 7

I settled down with this verse of scripture and began to read it over and over again. What began to stick out to me were the words “prayer, supplication, thanksgiving…peace.” I had to look up “supplication” just to make sure I understood it. It means: “An act of asking for something in a respectful way” (Merriam-Webster dictionary). As I broke these verses down I understand that if I pray to God, respecting His authority, power and nature, and come toward Him with a heart of gratitude as I make whatever petition I need to…then…then something amazing, calming and absolutely necessary happens.

God gives me peace. Peace in all my circumstances and situations. Peace in my mind. Peace in my body. Peace in my spirit. He lets me know that no matter what it looks like, or feels like in my distress; He has it all in His control.

I can’t say that I don’t ever worry, even after praying with supplication and thanksgiving. What I can say is that the worrying takes up a lot less of my time. In part because I am more aware that worry and anxiety are not answers but stress producers, and because I am learning to trust God so much more.

I am learning to be unbothered.

Blessing…vw1.