A Little Anxiety Anyone?

Anyone here stressed about something?  Anyone here worrying about anything or anyone?  Anyone here anxious about anything?  Boy, I sure get that way sometimes.  It makes me so tense when I am expected to do something and I don't quite know how to do it.  We all get worried and anxious about things sometimes.  "What do those people think about me?  Oh, no, do any of my friends really like me?"  or, "I know I have to do this, but I don't know how!"  or, "Is God mad at me?  Do I have unconfessed sin?!"  or, "Am I supposed to witness to this person?  I don't know how!  And what if I mess up?!" or, "I'm about to graduate and I don't know what to do or where to go!  What is God's will for me?"  We all have these things that just stress us out and make us anxious and worried.  I have a presentation due in a couple of weeks that is stressing me out because I'll be saying some things that some of the audience may not like, and I don't want to offend anyone.  It's hard not to feel anxious sometimes.  And you know what?  If you really admit it, it can really feel good to be anxious.  Woe is me, woe is me.  There are some people who go through their entire life feeling anxious and stressed and worried.  What a shame. 
      Sometimes I fall into that trap, too.  But, I was reading in Philippians the other day and some verses popped out at me.  Philippians 4:4-7 says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  5. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  Sweet.  I love verse six.  Why be anxious about something?  Take it to the Lord.  Do you really think you can control what is happening?  No.  Otherwise, you probably wouldn't be worried about it in the first place.  Is being anxious about it really going to help?  Absolutely not!  So, what do you do?  You take it to the person who actually is in control, and you know the great part?  He cares.  He wants us to present our requests to Him.  Notice, though, that we should present our prayers to Him with thanksgiving.  This part is really good for me to remember.  Why?  Because one of the things it is telling us is that there is so much that we should thank God for.  It is a reminder that although our situation may cloud our view and make everything seem dark, God has shown us so much grace, that we need to put our requests into perspective.  Does that make sense?  So, that was something cool that God showed me.  So, when you start to feel anxious or stressed, calm down, go to God, thank Him for His blessings and His willingness to help us, and make your requests made known to Him.