No Worries
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34 (NIV)
We have all had those days when everything seems to go wrong. Everything we touch or plan shatters into a zillion pieces. Our to-do lists are worthless and we are left with a sense of overwhelming frustration. Been there and done that—in fact quite often. Even in my senior years, I still have days like that, and I don’t like those intruders. Diane Stark (All God’s Creatures) is correct when she says that worrying does not help.
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I looked over my to-do list, sighing at the number of tasks. I preheated the oven and gathered the ingredients I needed to make cookies for the church’s bake sale. Then the power went out. “No, not today,” I moaned. The power outage triggered every smoke alarm in our house to start beeping. Immediately, my two dogs, Piper and Peyton, startled awake and ran under the table, cowering in fear at the high-pitched sound. I raced from one smoke alarm to the next, trying to turn them off, but they kept restarting. The sound was jarring to my ears, and I knew it must be terrifying for the dogs.
“Come on, girls,” I said. “Let’s go find a quiet place for you while I figure out what to do.” I coaxed the dogs out from under the table, and we headed upstairs. We went into the guest bathroom, and I closed the door. I could barely hear the alarms. I sat on the floor to comfort the dogs. As I rubbed Peyton’s belly, I remembered my to-do list. “God, make the power come back on,” I prayed. “I have so much to accomplish today,” My worrying was kicking into overdrive when I heard a squeak. I turned and saw Piper with her favorite toy in her mouth. I couldn’t help laughing. Even in the chaos, Piper stopped to grab a toy. I realized that I needed to follow her example. Worrying wasn’t helping anything.
I left the dogs in the bathroom and returned minutes later carrying a toy for Peyton, a pillow, and book I’d been wanting to read. The three of us snuggled together on the bathroom floor, enjoying our books and toys. Although it wasn’t the day I’d planned, God reminded me that worrying was never the solution.
Walk of Faith: In what areas do you need to set aside worry and trust God?
Loving Lord, Thank You for showing us the way that does not require worry! You are always with us and sometimes we forget. Teach us to trust You more. AMEN.