I don't know about you, but I struggle with worrying. I've read so many things on the subject, listened to wonderful teachings and I have my faith. Yet, I still struggle with it. It's one of those areas in my life where I am still a WIP (Work In Progress).
Part of the problem is that I'm a thinker. I analyze situations and try to plan ahead so that I can be prepared. The other part of the problem is that I'm a mom. Moms always worry about their children and have no trouble imagining the ways they can get hurt. (Any mom who's had a child ask for a skateboard knows this).
There are so many "what if's" in life. It is difficult not to worry when faced with life's challenges, when we don't know what the future holds for our situation.
Sometimes when I "put in too much time" worrying, God reminds me of the verses in His word that He has had to remind me of over and over again. Matthew 6:25-26 says, "Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your body, what to eat or drink or what to wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air, they do not reap or sow or store up in barns, yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"
Sometimes His reminder is in a song on the radio, sometimes it shows up in my daily readings, and sometimes, like today, it shows up right in front of me.
I was outside walking the dogs this morning and listening to the birds sing. (I love to listen to them sing!) All of sudden I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. We had rain overnight and there was a puddle in my yard. There were two birds in the puddle, splashing and taking a bath. As I watched them, I knew. I knew He was reminding me. If He can provide a bath for the birds, He can take care of me.
I know I need to just trust Him. If I, as a parent who loves my children and wants to take care of their needs, then how much more will my Father in heaven want to take care of me? I need to let go of the worrying. If I'm worrying, I'm not trusting. More importantly, if I'm worrying, I'm missing out on today. I read somewhere that "today is the tomorrow that we worried about yesterday." Seems like such a waste of time, doesn't it?
I choose, today, to live for today and trust Him with my tomorrows. And if I feel the need to start worrying again...I'm going birdwatching!
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Sunday, February 16, 2014
"Cloud-ed" Thinking
Driving to work at this time of the year, I get to see many sunrises. (I know, that's one way to look on the bright side, right? --- No pun intended). The road I drive on has several overpasses and, often, by the time I get to the last one, the sun is just coming up over the horizon. It is a beautiful sight every time that I see it!
Some mornings are clear and the sun shines so brightly that the sky just glows. On other mornings there are clouds on the horizon, sometimes even hiding the sun. It is those mornings, though, when there are clouds, that I enjoy the sunrise the most. It seems that the sun reflects on, shines on, shines through and gilds the edges of the clouds! It is simply spectacular!
Life can be a lot like clouds and sunrises. When things are going smoothly in our lives, it's a beautiful day, but when things are difficult, it can seem dark and gloomy and full of clouds.
When the clouds in my life get to be too much and make it difficult for me to think there will be sunshine again, I remind myself of a flight I was on many years ago.
It was a dark, stormy day, raining "cats and dogs" and I was on a plane getting ready to take off. I have to be honest. I sure didn't like the idea of taking off through those dark clouds. As the plane took off, it lifted higher and higher through layer after layer of thick, dark clouds. As I was watching out the window, all of sudden, we broke through the clouds. It was the most amazing thing! The sky was crystal blue and the sun was dazzlingly bright! I can still remember how it looked after all this time. I even remember the thought that I had at that moment. "Wow, there's sunshine just beyond the gray clouds. I have to remember that!"
You see, even though we may only see gray clouds for now, sunshine and blue skies are just beyond those gray clouds. You just never know when the sunrise will break through your situation and shine beautiful colors into your life. And sometimes, the gray clouds in our lives help us see and appreciate the "sunshiny" days even more.
There is a quote written by Langston Hughes that says "Oh God of dust and rainbows, help us to see, that without the dust, the rainbow would not be."
Whether there is "dust" or there are "clouds" in our lives, we need only to look for the sunshine and blue skies. We can look for the sun to shine through our circumstances. In Hebrews 11:1, it says "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Look at the clouds in your life and expect God to make a beautiful sunrise out of it. It's going to be spectacular, I just know it!
Some mornings are clear and the sun shines so brightly that the sky just glows. On other mornings there are clouds on the horizon, sometimes even hiding the sun. It is those mornings, though, when there are clouds, that I enjoy the sunrise the most. It seems that the sun reflects on, shines on, shines through and gilds the edges of the clouds! It is simply spectacular!
Life can be a lot like clouds and sunrises. When things are going smoothly in our lives, it's a beautiful day, but when things are difficult, it can seem dark and gloomy and full of clouds.
When the clouds in my life get to be too much and make it difficult for me to think there will be sunshine again, I remind myself of a flight I was on many years ago.
It was a dark, stormy day, raining "cats and dogs" and I was on a plane getting ready to take off. I have to be honest. I sure didn't like the idea of taking off through those dark clouds. As the plane took off, it lifted higher and higher through layer after layer of thick, dark clouds. As I was watching out the window, all of sudden, we broke through the clouds. It was the most amazing thing! The sky was crystal blue and the sun was dazzlingly bright! I can still remember how it looked after all this time. I even remember the thought that I had at that moment. "Wow, there's sunshine just beyond the gray clouds. I have to remember that!"
You see, even though we may only see gray clouds for now, sunshine and blue skies are just beyond those gray clouds. You just never know when the sunrise will break through your situation and shine beautiful colors into your life. And sometimes, the gray clouds in our lives help us see and appreciate the "sunshiny" days even more.
There is a quote written by Langston Hughes that says "Oh God of dust and rainbows, help us to see, that without the dust, the rainbow would not be."
Whether there is "dust" or there are "clouds" in our lives, we need only to look for the sunshine and blue skies. We can look for the sun to shine through our circumstances. In Hebrews 11:1, it says "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Look at the clouds in your life and expect God to make a beautiful sunrise out of it. It's going to be spectacular, I just know it!
Sunday, February 2, 2014
"I've Become My Mother?"
Have you ever said, or heard someone say, "I've become my mother" or "I opened my mouth and my mother's voice came out"?
When we say, "I've become my mother" it usually isn't because we're reflecting on behavior we wanted to copy, it's because we copied the behavior we never wanted to copy."
As it usually is between parents and children, children don't like the way they are "parented." Sadly, some children have very valid reasons. For most children, though, it usually has to do with everyday parenting. "Don't do this...don't do that...how many times have I told you?" and on and on. Some parents are big on guilt trips to try to get their children to do what they want. Some parents seem to have a list of rules a mile long. Some parents are just the opposite...they give no boundaries.
Many children say, "When I have children, I'm going to do things differently!" Then they grow up, have children and are surprised when they've acted the same way.
The way to "do things differently" is to make a change in ourselves. We don't have to listen to the "I can't change because it runs in our family" thoughts or the "I'll never change" thoughts," change can happen, if we want it. We don't have to stay the same, repeating mistakes and behaviors. We don't even have to be "tied" to behaviors that run in our families.
There is a verse in the Bible that says "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17). That verse gives me great hope. It tells me that if I am in Him, I am a new creation (brand new, never seen before). I am not tied to past behaviors - family history or my own. With His help, I can change.
So, how do we make a change? We need to look at what needs to be changed. Do we need to change the way we think or react or do we need to change a behavior or our way of thinking? We may need to ask ourselves if we need help with making a change. Whatever the change, it can be done.
I was listening to an old Harry Chapin song the other day called "Cat's In the Cradle." The song talks about a dad who was too busy to be involved in his son's life, then the son grows up and is too busy to be in his dad's life. The son always said, growing up, that he would be "just like his dad." At the end of the song, the dad realizes that his son "grown up, just like him."
It's never too late to make a change. Our children will always be our children. We can choose to make the changes we need to make. We can share with our children that we are trying to make changes. We can show that we want better for ourselves and our children. When they see us in the change process, it can be an example for them, too. Who knows, maybe someday, one of our children will say "I've become my mother" and it will be a good thing!
When we say, "I've become my mother" it usually isn't because we're reflecting on behavior we wanted to copy, it's because we copied the behavior we never wanted to copy."
As it usually is between parents and children, children don't like the way they are "parented." Sadly, some children have very valid reasons. For most children, though, it usually has to do with everyday parenting. "Don't do this...don't do that...how many times have I told you?" and on and on. Some parents are big on guilt trips to try to get their children to do what they want. Some parents seem to have a list of rules a mile long. Some parents are just the opposite...they give no boundaries.
Many children say, "When I have children, I'm going to do things differently!" Then they grow up, have children and are surprised when they've acted the same way.
The way to "do things differently" is to make a change in ourselves. We don't have to listen to the "I can't change because it runs in our family" thoughts or the "I'll never change" thoughts," change can happen, if we want it. We don't have to stay the same, repeating mistakes and behaviors. We don't even have to be "tied" to behaviors that run in our families.
There is a verse in the Bible that says "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17). That verse gives me great hope. It tells me that if I am in Him, I am a new creation (brand new, never seen before). I am not tied to past behaviors - family history or my own. With His help, I can change.
So, how do we make a change? We need to look at what needs to be changed. Do we need to change the way we think or react or do we need to change a behavior or our way of thinking? We may need to ask ourselves if we need help with making a change. Whatever the change, it can be done.
I was listening to an old Harry Chapin song the other day called "Cat's In the Cradle." The song talks about a dad who was too busy to be involved in his son's life, then the son grows up and is too busy to be in his dad's life. The son always said, growing up, that he would be "just like his dad." At the end of the song, the dad realizes that his son "grown up, just like him."
It's never too late to make a change. Our children will always be our children. We can choose to make the changes we need to make. We can share with our children that we are trying to make changes. We can show that we want better for ourselves and our children. When they see us in the change process, it can be an example for them, too. Who knows, maybe someday, one of our children will say "I've become my mother" and it will be a good thing!
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