Do not be anxious about anything, but in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
I was shopping one day and came across some of these
“Worry Dolls”. I was instantly drawn by
their bright colors, adorable faces and petite sizes. There were dolls for everything you every
worry about – kids, weight, job, marriage, being too skinny, etc. I actually picked some up and thought how fun
it would be to buy some and give them to my kids as a token of my ongoing and devoted
love for them, and as a token of how I am always worrying, or praying for
them.
I stopped myself and put them down and realized that by n buying
these dolls and having the worry actually in my hands, I was not really giving
it over to God and, I was sending a message to my kids that I didn’t fully
trust in God! They were cute and fun,
but for me, they represented the struggle we face daily and moment by moment
even to fully turn it all over to God.
It is so hard for us as
humans to really let go and turn things over to God. We want to fix everything. We want to hold on
to that worry and clinch our fists, squint our eyes and fret ourselves into
frenzy. As a parent, I especially find it so hard to trust God and really give my kids over to Him. I can trust Him, because I truly do believe
that He is in control and that He loves us and wants the best for us. I just have a hard time with the letting go
and not worrying about what could
happen. It is terrifying to let your
kids go – out in the car driving all over creation, or go off to college! I have developed the practice of telling
myself over and over “He holds the
future, He holds the future, He holds their future, He holds my future, He
holds the future…”
When we hold on to worry,
truthfully we really want to control everything, although we usually prefer to
see it as concern rather than control.
It is understandable that we want to control our world. We want out children and spouses, friends and
family to all stay safe and happy. We don’t want any horrible illness or
tragedy to come to anyone we care about.
But we have no control over what happens. All we can do is pray and trust God. He is in control. When tragedy or illness strikes, we struggle to
grasp how God can allow it. This is when our faith really has to kick in. His ways are not our ways. We must trust the process and know that all
things work together for the good of those who love Him. So much easier said than done!
Instead of having a cute
little doll for each and every worry I have, I pile it all in one heaping pile,
close my eyes, and lift it in His direction, every day. I am at the point that I am glad to let Him
handle it. I can’t do it anymore because
it is exhausting. What a blessed
discovery to make! Like me, most of us don’t
usually get to that point until our hands are so full of all we are holding on
to that we are literally falling on our face from the weight of holding it
all. Open your hands, give it to
Him. He wants to relieve you of your
burdens and give you rest.
Scripture to Claim:
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the
mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all
your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7
