Fretting

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?  Luke 12:25

For many years, I thought that worrying was equated with love- and that worrying was a good thing. After all, you don’t worry about something that isn’t important to you- or to someone you love.

It’s been a long, arduous process, but I am learning to drop those worries on His door step, one by one.  But some days I pick them back up.

And that’s what happened to me recently.

Nothing of great importance, but lots and lots of little things creeped into my thoughts and I found myself fretting over everything– and I mean EVERYTHING.

Doesn’t it seem like everything falls apart all at once?  That’s what happened in my home.  I tell my husband all the time that I am not good at being an “adult”.  As crazy as it sounds, even something as simple as calling a repair person to come fix an appliance gives me anxiety.

Philippians 4:6- be anxious for nothing

As the worship team and I were practicing and preparing for the service on Sunday, I found myself once again fretting and worrying about so many little things.  The song we were practicing was called “Cast My Cares”.  Tears started to flow down my cheeks as I played the piano and made mistake after mistake.  I stopped in the middle of the song and said we had to start again- and that it was all my fault.

 Instead of casting my cares on Him-  I had spent an entire week worrying. And it’s like a snowball… the worries start out small, but one leads to another and before you know it, it’s a GIANT out-of-control snowball rolling down a hill.  All week long I practiced and sang the words of that song, and yet I had not heeded it’s message.

In those few seconds before we played the song again, I surrendered ALL my worries to Him.  And just like that- I was able to freely worship!

The picture and quote at the top of the page is one that I saw this morning, and these words hit me like a ton of bricks-

we can’t worry and worship at the same time.

Worrying doesn’t help anything- and it doesn’t change our circumstances.  Worry leads to doubt… and when we worry, we’re not trusting God and His Word.

Instead of being a “worrier”- I want to be a warrior for Him!

‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’  Isaiah 41:10

 *image and quote found on http://bootcampbarre.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/worship763c42eee263343cdff439baa.jpg

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Keep Looking Up

Sky of a thousand

shades of blue

How I long

to gaze at you

Sea of azure

in the sky

Your wonder clouds

go swimming by

Sky light, sky bright

always keeping 

Him in sight

His glory shines

on everything

Oh, how Your beauty

makes me sing!

Friday Night’s Sunset

Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O LORD, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things.  1 Chronicles 29:11

The day always goes much more smoothly when I look up.  The moment I allow my thoughts to go astray, nothing good comes from it. My mini van didn’t want to start this morning. Immediately, I began to panic. I detest car (or in my case, mini van) troubles.  I don’t know a thing about cars.  But isn’t it crazy that we can trust our cars to take us here, there, and everywhere without knowing much of anything about them and how they work?

In my moments of panic, He reminded me of this- how often I put my hope in worldly things to meet my needs when they often fail me.  Cars, appliances, circumstances…even in other people.

So I looked up.  I gazed into the sky and handed Him my worries. He will meet my needs. It’s not if– but when– my van fails me, I trust that He will provide the help I need.  It’s not if- but when– my appliances break, when someone hurts me, when life and relationships get messy- He is there.  And in Him, there’s always hope!

And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in You.  Psalm 39:7

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6