It's not about the song. It's some advice I gave a friend who was having a rough day. It's the kind of advice that will come back to bite me in the butt. Not that long ago I wrote about the problem with giving advice to someone. In my experience, if I give someone advice, I will have the opportunity to take my own advice in the very near future. So, in the conversation with my friend, I knew that God was preparing me for a situation in which that is the advice I will need to hear. I am NOT looking forward to this.
Did I mention that I will likely need this very same advice in the near future? No? Well, I don't recommend trying to tell me so, because it won't be pretty. It's always easier to tell someone else what to do (or how, or when) than it is to do it yourself. Practice what you preach! It is interesting, however, to get a perspective from someone who isn't mired in the situation. The third party can see, without bias, what's really going on.
In the case of my friend, I had one message, and that was to let go. Maybe the situation wasn't fair. Maybe the ending wouldn't be pretty. Maybe the outcome won't be ideal. More importantly, worry isn't going to help. I love verse 27 of Matthew 6, "Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?" No. No. NO! I can also say that I struggle every day with this concept! I worry about my to-do list. I worry about friends and family. I worry about my prayer life. I worry about my schedule. And then I worry because I know I worry too much. (What can I say, I'm an overachiever!) Regardless, there is a time when each of us needs someone to come up and stick our noses into verse 27 - What do you think your worrying will achieve?!?!? Ab-sol-ute-ly nothing. I know it's not that easy. But sometimes we need to hear that message to put us back on track.
Take a moment. Just a little bit of time, right now, and think about something that worries you. Big or small, ugly or pretty - wait, can worries be pretty? - it doesn't matter. Consider the issue, and then try to hand it off to God for a minute. During that time, think of the time you have spent worrying. How has it made you feel? What has your worry accomplished? Consider, then, if you gave the issue over to God. Maybe only for a few minutes, an hour, or even a day. Do you trust God to handle that particular worry? It's okay if you don't. Trust takes time and vulnerability. I challenge you to let God shoulder the burden. It's a messy proposition, but it is worth the effort.
Prayer - Lord, you know how I struggle. I am blind, but I wish to see. Open my eyes to You so I may recognize Your power and that I may trust Your strength. I cannot navigate this life on my own. Help me to let go.
Dependence on God. 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat [or drink], or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? 27 Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? Matthew 6:25-27
Did I mention that I will likely need this very same advice in the near future? No? Well, I don't recommend trying to tell me so, because it won't be pretty. It's always easier to tell someone else what to do (or how, or when) than it is to do it yourself. Practice what you preach! It is interesting, however, to get a perspective from someone who isn't mired in the situation. The third party can see, without bias, what's really going on.
In the case of my friend, I had one message, and that was to let go. Maybe the situation wasn't fair. Maybe the ending wouldn't be pretty. Maybe the outcome won't be ideal. More importantly, worry isn't going to help. I love verse 27 of Matthew 6, "Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?" No. No. NO! I can also say that I struggle every day with this concept! I worry about my to-do list. I worry about friends and family. I worry about my prayer life. I worry about my schedule. And then I worry because I know I worry too much. (What can I say, I'm an overachiever!) Regardless, there is a time when each of us needs someone to come up and stick our noses into verse 27 - What do you think your worrying will achieve?!?!? Ab-sol-ute-ly nothing. I know it's not that easy. But sometimes we need to hear that message to put us back on track.
Take a moment. Just a little bit of time, right now, and think about something that worries you. Big or small, ugly or pretty - wait, can worries be pretty? - it doesn't matter. Consider the issue, and then try to hand it off to God for a minute. During that time, think of the time you have spent worrying. How has it made you feel? What has your worry accomplished? Consider, then, if you gave the issue over to God. Maybe only for a few minutes, an hour, or even a day. Do you trust God to handle that particular worry? It's okay if you don't. Trust takes time and vulnerability. I challenge you to let God shoulder the burden. It's a messy proposition, but it is worth the effort.
Prayer - Lord, you know how I struggle. I am blind, but I wish to see. Open my eyes to You so I may recognize Your power and that I may trust Your strength. I cannot navigate this life on my own. Help me to let go.
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