I spent the evening running through every possible scenario in my head. If they say this, then I will respond with that. If I say this, I bet they respond with that. 

When I finally hit the bed, I tossed and turned all night, filled with anxiety. Rest escaped me as my mind continued overthinking the interaction that awaited me. I could not eat in the morning as I tried to settle my stomach before the meeting.

In my office, I prayed intensely about what I would say in the coming meeting. I read scripture, and I sought to find comfort in the word of the Lord. I reached out to other people to pray for me, and they offered me wise advice.

Finally, there was a knock at the door, and they walked in and sat across the table from me. I spoke my concerns directly and offered no apologies. My stomach tightened as I waited for their response. They bowed their head and said quietly, “You’re right.”

All my anxiety and rumination had amounted to nothing. In the end, nothing went the way I had imagined. My problem was not real; it was all something I made up in my head.

It is easy to look back and laugh at it all now. At that moment, the problem seemed far too real.

One struggle for believers is to trust God in their reality and let go of their imaginary struggles.