For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. – Philippians 4:13 NLT

This was the very first Bible verse I ever learned. Long before I truly gave my life to Christ and before I even had an understanding of a fraction of what He has done for me, I let this verse sink into my mind. As I have mentioned before, I have battled anxiety for many years, so anything that promised to give me strength, I paid attention to.

One thing I learned along the way was that I can’t gain strength from someone I am not spending time with or really connected to. I memorized Philippians 4:13 and became a believer, but I didn’t have my eyes locked on Jesus. I went about my day as usual with some moments happy, some struggling, but it was always about me. Then when times of anxiety would emerge, and they often did, I would wonder why I didn’t feel that strength I was promised. Simply put, I was missing the biggest part of the equation and hadn’t even realized it. I had to go about my day “through Christ”. Meaning I couldn’t just call on Him like a genie to grant my wishes when I needed them. I had to take Him with me in my heart and in my thoughts all day long, then whatever came my way I would have the indwelling assurance that I was being strengthened.

Christ has given us so much, more than I could ever put into words, but one of the greatest gifts is His presence. When He is with us in traffic, at the doctor’s office, at our kid’s soccer games, and in the grocery store, we can be strengthened. When we bring Him to the forefront of our minds all day long, thanking Him and praising Him, our life can have a renewed outlook. Let’s not miss the blessing of approaching everything “through Christ”.