SSMT January Verses and Reflections

As one of my goals for 2015, I'm challenging myself to memorize 24 verses of Scripture this year through the Living Proof Ministries blog.   Every other year, they have the Siesta Scripture Memory Team (SSMT for short), where women from all over the country (and world, probably) choose a new verse of Scripture to memorize on the 1st and 15th of each month.

Well, I'm now on to memorizing verse 3, and so far I'm having no trouble at all memorizing my verses! I thought it'd be cool each month to tell you which verses I memorized.  I also wanted to reflect on why I chose that verse and how it has helped me during that time.

By the way, if you're interested, you can join the SSMT at any time!  You can always participate on your own, but if you want to join in with the community, just read the instructions here.

Verse #1: Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

"Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways, submit to Him and He will make your paths straight"

As the year turned to 2015 and I began thinking about all of the changes that will come with this year (hello, becoming parents in a few short months!), the first part of this verse came into my head.  I'd heard it before but didn't know the whole verse.  I looked it up and decided it was the perfect verse to start memorizing and have with me every day of this year (and my life!).

Well, I feel like God confirmed for me that this was the right verse to start with when it was used in the sermon on the first Sunday of January.  When I heard it quoted in the sermon, I'm pretty sure that I laughed out loud.  I couldn't help it; when I hear God speaking to me or confirming something that I thought He was saying to me, it just makes me happy!

Verse #2: Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

"So do not fear, for I am with you;

Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you,

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Can you see the theme of kinds of verses I felt like I needed to start with?  This time, I used the search feature on BibleGateway.com to look up the word "help."  I really wanted a verse to memorize that would again help me when I was feeling stressed and overwhelmed.

Throughout this month, I've been repeating these verses in my head when things get stressful or overwhelming.  It reminds me to take a step back, think about if I can control the situation or not, and pray about it regardless.  I have found such relief and comfort in the Lord when doing this!  Here's an example:

Last Friday, Joe and I dropped his car off to get serviced before I went to work.  I got a text about an hour before I came home from him saying "We need to talk about the Buick :\"  Naturally, I immediately thought that he got news that his car was completely dead.  I went in to freak-out mode in my mind, worrying about where the money would come from for a down payment and a new car and a baby and...  

Then Proverbs 3:5-6 came in to my mind, as did Isaiah 41:10.  I stopped, prayed about it, gave my worry to God, asked for His peace, and to trust Him.  And guess what?  There were a few repairs that needed to occur, and he wanted to ask if I thought the price was worth the investment.

Can we talk about relief?!?!  The money spent on the repairs (and we were able to negotiate the price a little, too) was far less than buying a new car!  And, really, what good would it have been for me to worry about it the whole way home?  Praise God for teaching me to trust Him and comfort me when I needed it.

Question for you: What's something that you use to calm down in times of stress?