You Are Not Alone With Debbie & Greg Gold
As a mother and son team, Debbie and Greg come together to talk about the realities and struggles we all face in today’s world. They cover a wide array of topics from mental health to current events to teaching on topics that will help you do life. As Christians, they know there is one thing that brings peace, hope, and encouragement to anything life throws our way, and that is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. You don't know what you don't know, so come along on the ride. Your life and heart will be changed forever!
You Are Not Alone With Debbie & Greg Gold
What You Worry About Most Reveals Where You Trust Least
The weight of worry can feel overwhelming – finances that won't stretch far enough, career paths that remain unclear, relationships that seem broken beyond repair. In this intimate conversation about anxiety, mother-son hosts Debbie and Greg Gold share their personal struggles with worry and offer a refreshing perspective that combines practical wisdom with spiritual guidance.
What makes this episode particularly powerful is the contrast they draw between worldly and biblical approaches to anxiety. While the world tells us to seize control of everything (as bestselling author Mel Robbins suggests in "The Let Them Theory"), scripture invites us to release our burdens. Debbie and Greg vulnerably discuss their own worries – Debbie opens up about financial uncertainty after her husband's employment changes, while Greg shares his confusion about future career directions amid conflicting advice.
The heart of their message revolves around three key insights: worry is unnecessary, unnatural, and unhelpful. Perhaps most fascinating is the observation that humans are the only species in creation that worry. Birds don't fret about tomorrow's food, yet they're provided for. This perspective challenges us to examine how much energy we waste on anxieties that add no value to our lives.
You'll discover practical visualization techniques that have helped the hosts release their own worries. Debbie shares a beautiful image of throwing her concerns up like "confetti at a party" for God to transform into "a masterpiece of his will." She also describes picturing herself held securely in Jesus' arms like a child in a mother's embrace. These tangible practices offer immediate ways to find peace amid anxiety.
The episode culminates with Greg's profound insight: "What you worry about most is where you're not trusting Jesus." This simple yet powerful statement invites you to examine your own anxieties as indicators of areas where surrender might bring unexpected freedom. Join us for this heartfelt conversation that reminds us that whatever we face, we are never truly alone.
Hello, this is Debbie and Greg Gold mother and son team and you are listening to the you Are Not Alone podcast, where we are going to navigate life together. Hello, everyone Today, welcome back to the show, and today Greg and I will be talking about worrying that fear, that anxiety that you got of, whatever it may be. Yeah, lots of things that we worry about we could list about I don't know A lot of things and we all go through it. We all go through it Anyway.
Speaker 2:List about I don't know A lot of things, and we all go through it, so I'll go through it anyway, but first we're going to look at highlights of the week.
Speaker 1:Greg, tell me about your highlight of the week.
Speaker 2:Okay. So last Friday we went to this restaurant for a Easter egg hunt um, primarily for adults, and the main reason we really wanted to go cause we looked at the price list and the prizes were really cool. I mean trip to Lake Tahoe, a trip to like a beach day, a bunch of gift cards, prizes.
Speaker 1:Right, really nice Gift cards to steakhouses.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm, yeah, you know, boat, boat rentals and stuff like that Really good prizes, yeah, so me and my mom, we want to go and we want to do it.
Speaker 1:It's like 25 bucks a person.
Speaker 2:Yeah, not bad at all. And um, we learned that you can get three eggs and you're going to get something. No matter what, you're going to get something good out of it. You could only get three eggs.
Speaker 1:That was the limit.
Speaker 2:And so we were down there just getting a little bite to eat the night before it happened and we asked the um, the lady working lady working down there, hey, how many people have signed up for this, uh, easter egg hunt? She's like oh, I've met 175 people and our jaws dropped. I almost spit out my yeah because, yeah, I didn't realize it was going to be that big of an event and um we don't get that out here and I'm thinking all those prizes 175 people or something like that and so we go down and you.
Speaker 2:You printed off the email that they sent out about the easter egg hunt and something I noted was the harder eggs that are like hidden have better prizes right, the ones that are harder to find exactly, yeah yeah, are gonna have the better prizes and so they were sold out when we got down there, I mean, there were 208 individual people that played in the Easter egg hunt, apparently.
Speaker 1:Really Wow. It was more than 100. It was more than it got more.
Speaker 2:It was 208. And it was so busy last night.
Speaker 1:People were waiting an hour for food. It's hard to get a drink.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was crazy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was crazy.
Speaker 2:Um, but we start the Easter egg hunt and I'm running. I'm in boots and jeans, but I'm like I got competitive.
Speaker 1:You went one direction. I took off to the other side. Yeah, I just didn't look back. Together, though, I didn't look back Cause clearly you did better.
Speaker 2:I went down to the pool, uh, there was one taped on the railing, like kind of near the water, so had to lean down, grab it. And then I ran to, uh, one of the water slides. There was one taped on the inside of there. I was like, oh, and grab that. And then I just went where is nobody at because there's a bunch of people all over.
Speaker 2:But I went to the big white slide over there and behind it the taco we call it we call it the taco and I went behind it and there was just one little purple egg underneath a couple rocks and I grabbed it and I'm like, all right, well, that was fast, I got my three eggs wow and um, I'm so eventually it finishes up. I see you and stuff. We eat our food well, I'm actually over.
Speaker 1:I gotta tell you I would. So I'm, I take off the other direction right and I got my little flashlight because I'm gonna look in all those dark holes and those dark places thinking that's where I'm going to find eggs.
Speaker 1:And I couldn't find anything that was really too hard to get to and I was getting a little disappointed. And I had actually two wristbands because we bought a ticket for a friend and the friend couldn't make it because it's Easter weekend and he's going out of town. So they said I could wear both bracelets and so I could get six eggs. So I had picked up three that I kind of saw behind things and whatever. Well then I'm thinking, where else do I go? And I'm walking along the beach and I hear a couple ladies go. Maybe they did reverse psychology where they you know the ones that are laying out in plain sight, maybe maybe they threw a couple good prizes out there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, right, I'm going.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's it. So I I grabbed three eggs that are just laying on the ground, cause I'm I'm kind of done anyway.
Speaker 2:I skipped over those immediately. Yeah, I know.
Speaker 1:Well, I did I did a disart, but I thought well, maybe they did reverse psychology. I don't know so anyway, but I'll finish my part of the story later on that.
Speaker 2:So anyway, but I'll finish my part of the story later on that, and so I get in line. And I learned something new that night I hate waiting in line. Oh my gosh. It was like a 30 minute wait just to cash my eggs in.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And when we get there, you wait there with me. You come and see what I got, and the first one, what was?
Speaker 1:it, so they open it, you open it, they open it.
Speaker 2:And there's a number, number and like four digits or whatever, and they have a book where they flipped it out and it named all the prizes and stuff matching the numbers what was the first one? It was, oh yeah, it was the other. It was a tri-tune three-hour boat rental at one of the marinas over here.
Speaker 1:Um, which is worth a decent amount of money eight hundred dollars.
Speaker 2:Eight hundred dollars and I'm like no way I won something, because I was just expecting.
Speaker 2:You know, a couple drink passes, or maybe a couple water park, uh day passes, something like that right the second one, she goes oh, this is a good one, and she flips the book a couple and then she gets a gift card. It's to ruth chris steakhouse, which is like a really good steakhouse in downtown austin, and that was one of the prizes that me and you talked about. When we were looking at the prizes I was like ruth chris steakhouse is that good?
Speaker 1:you're like that's one of the best steakhouses on austin and we were talking about on the way home. They had added those prizes yeah, they did a couple or to um a couple different fancy restaurants. And then I get my third, but it's 200 yeah, which, yeah, I know like we can. We can have a decent meal with that Really nice steak and a bottle of wine or something, yeah, or a glass, yeah, wink, wink.
Speaker 2:And the third egg we open up. It's for mini golf at this place called Holy Moly Downtown and I looked at the website. Like you said, it looks super fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2:I won all three prizes and I couldn't have been luckier, so I got to say that's my highlight for the week.
Speaker 1:All right. Well, I'm just going to finish my side of the story.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:I butted into your time, no. So I ended up getting three water park day passes and three drink passes with Valente vodka in them. Nice yeah, because that's Valente beaches they make their own vodka, yeah. Anyway, so, yep, I don't think they were trying to do reverse psychology.
Speaker 2:No, yeah. Anyway it was fun. It was fun. I almost had to get in the pool for that one egg, so I see why they kind of made it difficult.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, you know, those are big prizes.
Speaker 2:They were.
Speaker 1:Anyway. So I guess my highlight of the week was on Saturday. You know, this week has been a little mixed up and crazy and just trying to keep my life together and um, anyway, I needed a. I really needed a Manny and a petty, and I wanted my eyebrows done too, and so I made an appointment to have all that done, and typically I'll get my fingers done, but I don't really need a petty.
Speaker 1:So then that's a different time time and but it was kind of a really special treat you needed a you day I needed a me day there you go and I went to the gym part of that then I went to the store and, you know, went shopping a little bit and then I got to my appointment, um, but it was just so awesome. I feel like my face is renewed, with my brows and um, my feet feel good and my fingers look great.
Speaker 2:Great.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so, anyway, and my new, latest thing that I'm doing with my nails and my color is the white.
Speaker 2:I like it.
Speaker 1:I think it White. Make sure nails look longer. So it's do they? Yeah, they do, it's like a visual thing. So, I've been doing this for the last couple of months and I'm really like it.
Speaker 2:And it's good, for I noticed them, so I like them anyway.
Speaker 1:So I'm refreshed and it was a great time to just be with me and be all about me. Yeah, have some you time so so well, that's great, Important to do.
Speaker 2:Well, let's dive into worry.
Speaker 1:All right, let's do it.
Speaker 2:So I mean people worry for a wide variety of reasons. I mean it mostly comes from a place of fear. I mean that's kind of what worry is A fear of something happening they can't control, or a fear of the unknown.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Sometimes people worry because they have a lot of responsibility at work or at home.
Speaker 1:Or sometimes people just worry because their life is just generally uncertain or just chaotic or whatever it may be.
Speaker 2:So I feel like that's me right now, where I feel like my life is uncertain.
Speaker 1:I feel the same way, yeah, so it's like what's the next step?
Speaker 2:so and that's, it's kind of scary so um author mel robbins, in her book the let them theory, currently on the new york Times bestseller list, says that we all have an intimate desire to control everything about our lives, our time, our thoughts, our actions, our environment, our plans, our future, our decisions and our surroundings. Feeling in control makes you feel comfortable and safe, so naturally you try to control everyone and everything around you, which is a worldly view of thinking about it.
Speaker 1:Yes, that that truly is the world. It's a worldly view.
Speaker 2:You want to control everything around it. So or about you? Yeah, without yeah and then, in contrast, the biblical view would be in scripture. We hear this in first peter, 5, 7. He says yes, he cares for you and will lighten your burden. Just let him.
Speaker 1:Just oh, just tell him. Oh, just tell him Just tell him and let him Good, we should.
Speaker 2:In Philippians 4, 6 through 7 reads do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with Thanksgiving, present your request to God. Present your request With Thanksgiving present your request to God.
Speaker 1:Present your request.
Speaker 2:With thanksgiving, present your request to God. It's kind of a tongue twister, it kind of is I get it? And the peace of God which transcends all understand, will guard your hearts and your minds. So kind of a biblical worldview way to look at it.
Speaker 1:Well, that's a biblical view versus the world, exactly. So, basically, the world tells us this and that and that you know, as Mel talked about in her book, but then what we know as Christians is that we really need to follow what the Bible says about these things.
Speaker 2:Giving it over to God. So yeah, so praying about our worries Um what's an example like, like, what is something that you worry about right now, that's like on your, that just comes up to your mind.
Speaker 1:Yeah so.
Speaker 2:I mentioned the name, worry what comes up.
Speaker 1:It's our finances, totally. So just for our listeners, you know this, my husband hasn't worked steadily for two years and you know, thank God, praising God, that we've had the resources, but still you know, to survive and pay the bills.
Speaker 1:It's a real struggle, but still, you really want to know that there's income coming in every month, and not just from me, but cause he was the primary provider for all these years, and so I'm I'm doing what I can right now, but um, yeah, so that's a real, that's a real life issue right there it is it's scary and um I um want to give it all over to God.
Speaker 1:I do, but yet part of me goes. How long is this going to go on for? Right, there's always that unanswered question there is that and you know you go back and forth on it. It's like no, I know God's got this.
Speaker 1:That's where the word faith comes in Exactly that is so well said and yeah, and so that's where I'm at, that, one of my the biggest things on my heart right now and, um, I know god's got a plan and in his timing it's going to appear and it will be perfect according to his will, but I do need to have faith in the meantime.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thank you, mine's like my career, my career path, my future, what to do next. I mean, there's so many different options. So many people tell me, so many people tell me why don't you try this, why don't you try that, why don't you do this? It's like I just it's uncertain and it's scary.
Speaker 1:So do you ever get like frustrated when people tell you that?
Speaker 2:Certain things because it's it gets repetitive. You know, I've heard 18 million times try trade school, try this, try two year, try four-year. Try online, try this, try that. It's like, oh, you want to go overseas or, you know, go study abroad. I'm like I don't know. So, yeah, I worry about that and just what the next step is. So, yeah, I mean both of our issues. It's real worry.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they're real life concerns, for sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they're all concerns.
Speaker 1:Well, I know that you're praying about all this, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm giving it all over to God to lead me in the next step.
Speaker 1:Right, I remember. Well, I'll get into all that later, or maybe I will, I don't know, maybe I won't. I used to worry about you kids so much you I will. I don't know, maybe I won't. I used to worry about you kids so much. You and Chase oh yeah, you know what's their future going to look like. You know, I've got two amazing kids that are just you know. They can add so much to the world and I would just go worry, worry, worry. And I recently, maybe three months ago, put it over to God and I'm really trusting that God has a direction for you guys and I worry a lot less about you, not that I maybe don't worry a little bit.
Speaker 1:But, it's a way less Like. This is out of my control.
Speaker 2:Yeah, totally.
Speaker 1:Like I've surrendered.
Speaker 2:There you go, there you go Big word.
Speaker 1:I like that Surrender Anyway. So moving on, we all have concerns in our lives that can cause us worry right, oh yeah, I mean no one's.
Speaker 2:No one's life is perfect. It's exempt, right? Oh yeah, we all got stuff we're going through.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we have so we have to learn to deal with our worry, um, from a biblical perspective, I believe, and because you know, yeah, we all worry. What are we going to do about it? Right?
Speaker 2:um, gotta lift that burden off your shoulders and give it to god yeah.
Speaker 1:So, uh, I think we have to retrain ourselves to give it to god. Because worry? There's three things about worry that I want to talk about the first one is it's really unnecessary, it is unnatural and it is unhelpful.
Speaker 2:It's not helpful that third one's the most important thing, because it's just negative. When you're worried, you're not thinking straight, you know. You're anxious, you're scared, you're not, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And that's not healthy for the brain, I think.
Speaker 1:Right. So first point worry is unnecessary. It takes your focus off what's important, right? When you're consumed with worry you're not thinking about, I mean I get distracted. Consumed with worry You're not thinking about, I mean I get distracted. I can't think straight on my job. Sometimes I can't think straight with you. Know how am I going to prioritize my day?
Speaker 2:It clouds your mind yeah.
Speaker 1:Clouds your mind for sure, thank you. And then, not only that, it causes health issues. It can be, you know, high blood pressure.
Speaker 2:Anxiety.
Speaker 1:Stomach aches Hair falling out.
Speaker 2:A bunch anxiety, stomach aches, hair falling out, Um a bunch of different things, yeah, depression, even that too, yeah.
Speaker 1:And in Psalm 55, 22, it says cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you. He will never let the righteous be shaken. I mean, god is so good if we just give to him right Surrender, okay, so worry is unnecessary. Second point worry is unnatural. This is such a great thought and I've never, ever, thought of it this way. But we are the only species in creation, god's creation that worries.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's crazy.
Speaker 1:Isn't it? It's like wow.
Speaker 1:So, Matthew 6, 25 through 27 says. Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear, If not, is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds in the air. They do not sow or reap or store their goods in the barn, so that's a lot right there. Can any one of you, by worrying, add a single hour to your life? I think worrying probably takes an hour off your life, so that's a lot right there.
Speaker 2:Can any one of you by worrying at a single hour to your life. I think worrying probably takes an hour off your life. So yeah by adding a single.
Speaker 1:You know it doesn't do us any good, is the point to worry but, instead turn it over to God.
Speaker 1:He's got this. He's like the birds. They don't have to like us humans. You know, sow our seeds and reap our you know the corn that comes out from our seeds and then we store it away in the barn, for you know feeding us through the winter. They don't have to do anything. God helps them and makes sure there's food available for them. So yeah, anyway, I just I thought that was just so fascinating, and if only I could be a bird, right how do you say that no?
Speaker 1:no, yeah, I get to fly around and no worries that that's pretty cool, yeah, anyway well, get a bird's eye view I didn't get that, so anyway, yeah, um, let's go on to point number three. Worry is unhelpful, so it doesn't add value to your life, right? When you worry, does what you are worrying about get fixed or resolved, right?
Speaker 2:No, it makes it worse. It just makes it worse, you think about it and it just makes your day crappy, yeah, so but really, what fixes it I'm sorry is making a plan and taking action.
Speaker 1:But then that takes me back to where, as Christians, when we're faced with any decision whatsoever, we are to pray to God about that decision and wait for him to answer us. So I kind of like, yeah, you can put a plan in place If you're worried about finances. Well, you know, I'm going to go get two more clients so I can triple my monthly income. So that's one idea. But I have to pray to God about that first and see if he's got something else in mind for me. So, um, I don't know, I think it's just I don't want to be out there doing my own thing and trying to fix things myself.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:I have learned to rely on God for that, and that's a blessing. Proverbs 12, 25 says anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up. So worrying about things, you know, doesn't make for a good heart, but doing kind things, saying kind things to yourself, et cetera, makes your heart good.
Speaker 2:Builds it up.
Speaker 1:So let's keep our focus on the good in life and let's let God take care of the rest. Is what I say, and typically, when I'm worrying about something, I will talk to God about it during my morning prayer. And it's not always I have to go, oh wait, I will talk to God about it during my morning prayer, you know, and it's not always I have to go, oh wait, I am way too worrying here. I need to turn this over to God, and so I finally give it up to God, and you know, cause I've suffered enough or I've realized that you know, I can't fix this and um, and then typically what I do is, after a day or two, or sometimes even hours, I've taken it back and I'm back in worry mode. It's like the craziest thing ever.
Speaker 1:I don't know if you ever experienced that where you just pray and then all of a sudden you're I don't know back worrying about it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, no yeah. I get that so.
Speaker 1:I was coming home from church last Sunday, Greg, and I think I shared some of this with you, but I was feeling so good, you know, when you get out of church and that message just speaks to you and I'm driving home and I'm thinking of a worry that I wanted to give to God in regard to a particular relationship in my life and you know it's been eating me alive and out loud in the car, I just said here you go, god fix it. And it was like I was throwing that problem up in the air like confetti at a party and these tiny little pieces of worry were waiting for God to just scoop up into. You know, this masterpiece and it was a, but it's a, it was. It's a masterpiece of his will and his plan for me. So I love that and I want to.
Speaker 1:I just want to keep remembering that. You know, just every time I have a worry like here you go, god fix this. And I want to just feel like I'm throwing it up in the air and he's going to catch it, um, so yeah, I don't know if that helps anybody else, but um, and and I have to say and I was saying that I've been really at peace with that whole- Situation yeah that whole situation and I've seen it move and I've seen some direction being taken and it's been really wonderful that's awesome.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think here's a statement to ponder.
Speaker 1:Okay, what do you got what?
Speaker 2:you worry about the most is where you're not trusting Jesus. Your finances, your future, your kids give it all to God. Give all your worries to God.
Speaker 1:I love that, greg. So what you worry about the most is where you are not trusting.
Speaker 2:God. Makes so much sense so and then what do you do that helps keep you from worrying? Not trusting God, so Makes so much sense. Mm-hmm, so yeah. And then what do you do that helps keep you from worrying?
Speaker 1:I mean, what do you imagine? I also have an image I like to think about, so I imagine myself in the lap of Jesus, with his arms wrapped around me. It's just such a beautiful thing, and I liken it to like a mother and a child with her child, just like wrapped up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, bundled up, yeah, that's comforting.
Speaker 1:Right, and as mothers, we know instinctive, instinctively, what our children need and what their needs are. And Jesus knows all my needs and my worries, without me even speaking a word, and so just imagining me just being wrapped up with him in his arms, it just gives me some peace and I know that somehow it's going to get taken care of, because, as a mother, I would take care of whatever my needs were for my child.
Speaker 2:Beautifully said. Thank you, yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 1:Is there anything else we're going to run over? I don't think so.
Speaker 2:I'd say you give it over to God. Whatever you're going through, If you can't control it, give it over to Him. Anything else you want to add?
Speaker 1:I think I'm good yeah.
Speaker 2:All righty, I think that's our show, that is our show for today. All righty.
Speaker 1:Remember to check out our website at debbieandgreggoldcom, and we'll see you back here next week. Yes.
Speaker 2:Thank you, God, for this episode and remember that Jesus is always with you.
Speaker 1:He is Whether you're in your car, in the bathroom, in your house. Wherever you are, jesus is there.
Speaker 2:You are not alone.
Speaker 1:We love you and make it a great day.