GROWING SEEDS: W-O-R-R-Y

 

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or what you will drink,
or about your body, what you will wear.
Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Matthew 6:25

"One morning, Death was walking into a city when a man stopped him and asked what he was doing.  Death answered, “I’m going into the city to kill 10,000 people.” The man replied, “That’s terrible that you would kill 10,000 people.” Death responded, “Taking people when their time has come is my job. Today I have to get my 10,000.”  Later, as Death was coming out of the city, the man met him. Again, he was furious. He said, “You told me this morning that you were going to take 10,000 people, but 70,000 died today.” Death answered, “Don’t get mad at me. I only took 10,000. Worry killed all the rest.” (1)

W-O-R-R-Y.

My friend, Beatrice is a 92 year old worry-all-the-time lady on my Meals on Wheels route.  She worries she's going to have a stroke one day....she worries about who called and hung up.....she worries about when the trash truck is going to show up and she worries about her doctor firing her.  Beatrice is the most worrisome person I've ever met.

And yet, she has a great and deep love for the Lord.  This - I - know. 
She just has a problem with trusting Him. 

And don't we all!  We've all been Beatrices at some point in our lives.  Being a recovering worrier myself, I'm learning how to replace that space within me that's been reserved for Worry....with Trust.  It's like when my granddaughter Brie was little.  She would stand on her bed, arms stretched out wide, and say, "Lele, I'm going to jump into your arms and you're going to catch me, right, Lele?"  She showed her trust in me by taking that leap off the bed and into my arms.  And I never dropped her.....not once.

It's the same with God.  He simply asks us to trust Him.....to catch us when we jump off the cliff of sorrow, anxiety, and worry.  And when we do....He catches us.  Those great big strong nail-scarred arms are outstretched as if to say, "I love you THISSSSS much" and He catches us as we trustingly fly through the air to His waiting arms.  And He never drops us....no, not once.

¹ Haddon W. Robinson