Ladies Brunch: Philippians 4:5-9

I had the absolute pleasure of being the guest speaker at my church’s ladies brunch on Saturday, May 2. This is an annual event where the women of the congregation gather for brunch, fellowship, and prayer. As an author, I communicate best through the written word, so I wrote an essay to share with the group. Here’s the full text of that essay:

Our story starts in everyone's favorite place: the Department of Motor Vehicles. For the past couple years, my little sister-in-law has been trying to get her Real ID. This can be challenging for anyone; between filling out paperwork and gathering documents, there are a lot of steps, and the DMV can be unforgiving.

She's tried and failed several times to get her ID, and to make things more challenging, she's adopted from Bulgaria and she's visually impaired—making her documents extra challenging to find and the paperwork impossible to do on her own. Thankfully, my husband, her brother, happens to be an expert in government paperwork. So, the two of us offered to help her get her Real ID.

We helped her complete the application online and sift through a stack of documents to make sure she had everything she would need. Once we were confident we had everything lined up, we scheduled an appointment with the DMV. It was a two-week waiting game, and I started to have nightmares—about sleeping through my alarm and missing the appointment, opening her folder of documents to find they had all been shredded, waiting for hours and hours and never having our ticket number called, or forgetting to wear pants—though that one wasn’t as terrifying because we still got the ID—I just received a few funny looks.

So, my husband and I started praying about this thing from every angle. We prayed for his sister—that she would feel calm and confident going into the appointment. We prayed that there would be no errors in the paperwork, we had interpreted the documents list correctly, and collected everything she would need. We even prayed for the DMV workers—asking God for someone who was patient, accommodating, and in a good mood. 

The day of the appointment came, and we got to the DMV five minutes before it opened—just before her 8 a.m. appointment. A line was already snaking out the door and wrapping around the side of the building. My heart sank, but I tried to stay positive and trust that the Lord would help us through the next few minutes. When we approached the entrance, my sister-in-law on my arm, white cane in her dominant hand, the security guard asked us if we had an appointment. I put on my cheeriest smile and said, “Yes, we do. Eight a.m.” He directed us to another lane—one without a line. The woman at the window asked for my sister-in-law’s documents, and we handed them over. She reviewed each one, nodding in approval, and put them in a clear folder. 

She handed us the folder and a ticket number. Before we even had the chance to sit down, our number was called and we were at another window being helped. Within 10 minutes, we were leaving the DMV, temporary Real ID in hand. 

I tell you this story because it’s a real-life example of how God cares about our everyday life, listens to our prayers, and responds in very real ways.

Let's read Philippians 4:5-9: 

"Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you."

This scripture provides directions for handling the pressures of life. Whether it’s getting through a stressful day at work, dealing with a chronic illness, wrangling unruly children, or navigating the DMV, Paul gives us four concrete steps for handling stress and anxiety.

The first is to remember that the Lord is at hand. God is present and near; He’s with us, even when we don’t feel or acknowledge Him, and He’s waiting to listen and respond.

Step two is to refuse anxiety and replace it with prayer and gratitude. Now, I know this is really challenging, and I don’t think Paul is taking about anxiety disorders. There are times when we feel anxious, and we cannot control it, where we have a biological response to circumstances in our lives that causes feelings of fear and anxiety. And I want to make it clear right now that this is not a sin.

I have struggled with anxiety for most of my life, and the things that make the biggest difference for me are talking to God about what’s on my heart and thanking Him for the good things in my life—even if it’s something as small as the lady at the DMV smiling at me. Gratitude is hard when you are experiencing feelings of stress and anxiety, but the more you practice gratitude, the easier it becomes, and the more you begin to see God’s blessings in your life and feel His peace that surpasses all understanding. 

Step three: Paul instructs us to meditate on things that are true, pure, lovely, and good. I studied journalism in college. I was always reading the headlines and keeping up with the news—and as you probably know, good news doesn’t make the headlines. Things that are noble and just and pure and lovely are not front-page news. Filling our minds with conflict, violence, and death—or even with more innocuous things like episodes of our favorite sitcom or a feed of highly curated photos and videos—will rob us of peace. We must actively seek out virtue in this life. 

The fourth and final step is to be like Jesus. Paul instructs us to do the things we learned, received, heard, and saw in him. Paul was empowered by the Holy Spirit to live a Christlike life—and we can be too.

My sister-in-law received her Real ID card in the mail a few days ago, and I can’t stop telling people the story. When we got in the car after her appointment, we just sat in stunned silence for a few seconds before we started laughing together. Things couldn’t have gone smoother, and I told her that it was all God. He is near to me and to her and to you. He wants to walk with us through the pressures of life—every stressor, anxiety, and fear. 

He’s waiting with an outstretched hand. 

We just need to take it.