Ephesians 1:16
“I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.”
Quite often, I feel very insecure. Especially growing up in a performing arts world; I never felt I was enough. This created deep self-doubt in my mind that I have carried with me through the last ten years of my life. It’s nothing special though, I am sure every teenager struggles with their own insecurities, doubts, and vulnerabilities.
If you’re anything like me, you spend too much time worrying. In middle school, I worried about not being the “right” kind of pretty. In high school, I worried that my grades weren’t high enough to go to a popular and respected college. In college, I worried I would never decide on a career. After undergrad I worried that I wouldn’t get a job and now that I have a job, I still worry that I won’t succeed. It’s a never-ending pattern of worry and stress and honestly, I don’t know how to make it stop.
For the past nine months, I’ve been working temporary and interim positions for St. Andrew’s. I didn’t know if I would eventually be hired, but I did my very best to make sure I did. Nearly the entire time, I worried I wouldn’t be enough. I worried I wouldn’t be permanently hired. I worried I would be left unemployed in the middle of a pandemic. But I’m writing you this today because I did get hired!
Shortly thereafter, I had a very long conversation with a coworker. I wanted her to know that as a permanent employee, I was looking forward to working closely with her. I wanted to do more to help her, and I wanted to be fully invested in the team in as many ways that I could. Her response?
She told me that she’s been praying for me for the entirety of my temporary status at St. Andrew’s. She prayed I would have a place here. She was sure to tell me how thankful she was that I was staying, and how she’s been hoping to grow closer to me. Since then, she has emphasized to me (fairly frequently) that her prayers have been answered.
Just as Paul wrote to the people of Ephesus, telling them he has been praying for them, I had a coworker praying for me every day without even knowing. Had I known she was keeping me in prayer, maybe I wouldn’t have worried so much. I am positive there is someone in your life praying for you right now and I am positive you don’t know about it. They’re praying for your health and safety, for your well being and life path. They’re praying God provides you with joy and with happiness, and they’re praying your faith gets stronger and stronger. If you’re like me, if you worry a lot, try to remember there’s someone praying for you to ease your worries.
Today, choose a friend or family member that you know could use some love and pray for them each day for the next seven days.