Unrealistic expectations are things the other person isn't able or willing to do for me. I have to let go of these.

Relationships were reduced to attempts at managing what I feared about them rather than enjoying what I loved about them.

Finally, I went to my husband. "Honey," I said, feeling the entanglements of expectations loosening their grip on me, "I can't do everything good wives seem to do. But I can do three things. So, tell me your top three things, and I will do those well." After all, I could spend a whole marriage doing a hundred things halfway with a bitter attitude and an overwhelmed spirit. Or, I could do three things wholeheartedly with a smile on my face and love in my heart.

To deny my feelings any voice is to rob me of being human. But to let my feelings be the only voice will rob my soul of healing perspectives with which God wants to comfort me and carry me forward.

When I said, "My foot is slipping," your love, O LORD, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul. (PSALM 94:18 — 19)

Comfort isn't a solution to seek; rather, it's a by-product we'll reap when we stay close to the Lord.

There is no perfect decision—only the perfectly surrendered decision to press through our fears and know that God is working in us to bring about good through us. Let's state it

I am God's girl. That's right, I am. I am going to humbly and quietly let God have His way in me. And when I do, God will lift up me and my frayed nerves from this situation and fill me with a much better reaction than what I can give you at the moment. Give me just a few minutes and then we'll talk calmly about this.

I let my soul be cradled by God's divine assurance. His Son. Who completely understands. And who will walk me through every step of this if I keep my focus on Him. That's how I survive the 86,400 seconds called today.

We can call it what it is and ask God to help us. I'm tired, God. What do I do? I'm lonely, God. What do I do? I'm mad, God. What do I do? I'm insecure, God. What do I do? I'm frustrated, God. What do I do? Outward expressions are internal indications.

When all of life feels like an urgent rush from one demand to another, we become forgetful. We forget simple things like where we put our car keys or that one crucial ingredient for dinner when we run into the grocery store. But even more disturbing, we forget God. We say with our mouths that we are trusting and relying on God, but are we really?

What did they do in the midst of this confusion? They cried out in fear instead of calling out to their Lord in faith. They were terrified. Why? Let's look at that word terrified as it is used in these scriptures. It's tarasso, which means "to set in motion what needs to remain still." Can