As I got up to share my story with a group of strangers, I was reminded of two things. First, God has done some amazing work in my life. He had laid His hand on me from a very early age and set me on a path of His choosing. For that, I felt loved and humbled. Second, I was scared. I tend to forget how hard it is to get up and be honest about my heart. To be honest about my struggles. When I stood up on stage and looked out into a sea of faces, I felt my anxiety creeping up. I could feel the pull to turn inside of myself and hide. But, then I remembered that turning and hiding is the very path that God set out to rescue me from. He gave me the power to open up and not hide. I felt honored to be able to do it.

I was happy to feel literally relaxed. I have a tendency to dwell in anxiety and worry about things on a trip. I worry before we leave about going. While we are on our way about what we are going to do. While we are on vacation about the trip home. And then to finish it off, I worry when I get home about how much I worried. This trip, I felt like I left my anxiety in Orlando and actually took a vacation. It was a great feeling. It was much easier to get recharged and connect with Christy.

It was a big emotional victory for me. Anxiety is definitely a place my heart is prone to run. I sometimes feel like I battle it constantly. So, being able to lay it down and put some distance between me and my anxiety was very significant to me.