I have the world’s sweetest little great niece and nephews. At ages 8, 6, and 3, they have already learned so much about compassion.
Throughout my recent battle with breast cancer, these little ones have been there, every step of the way, praying for me, and making me little gifts. The day after my surgery, for example, their mother came over to see me, and the children were allowed to come in one at a time. Each of them had made me something special. Olivia (all names have been changed) made me some banana muffins. Delicious! Duncan, her 6 year-old brother, had made me a special picture. And Coty, the 3 year old, had helped make a little bag to bring it all to me in. So sweet!
I knew they had been praying for me, and I knew that each Sunday they would wait after Sunday school to see if I had felt good enough to come to church. And then there was the day little Olivia came over with her mother. They had been planning this “girl time” for days, and Olivia had an entire bag full of items that she had personally made for me. The gifts included a handmade bead necklace that says, “be strong.” There was also a pink breast cancer wrist band, at least 20 or more special pictures, each done in slightly different ways, and a beautiful card that she, herself had made. A great aunt couldn’t feel more special!
I am so blessed to be able to be a part of these young lives. Their grandparents live in Europe, and they aren’t able to see them much. I only pray that I might be able to fill a little of the “grandparent” shoes for these three!
There is just little problem, however. I have a big, extra-friendly golden retriever, and Olivia is deathly afraid of dogs. Now I don’t want Olivia to have to worry about anything when she comes to see me. I just want her to be able to enjoy her visits, so whenever I know she is coming to my house, I make sure the dog is either locked in the basement, in the garage, chained up outside, or, as in the case when Olivia spent the weekend at my house, over at my mom’s. Every effort is made to ensure that she does not have to come face to face with my dog, and, to date, the only time the two have had any interaction was when Olivia specifically asked to see her.
Despite the fact, however, that I have never once forgotten, every visit is pre-ceded by worry: Will Auntie Lyn remember to lock up the dog?
Why is it that she doesn’t trust me?
As I type this, I realize that this is exactly how God must feel when we fail to trust Him, when we continue to fear, when we continue to carry our worries ourselves.
Let’s take a moment to think about how many blessings He pours out upon us every day. Is His track record soiled? Has He ever failed to give us exactly what we need, when we need it, the times we have trusted in Him? Yet, just like Olivia and my dog, the moment we think about certain problems, we begin to worry and fret.
Friends, just like I do everything to keep Olivia and my dog apart, God knows our fears and concerns, and He takes care of them, even before we ask! If we would just give our burdens to Him, He will take care of them! We don’t have to worry, not even for a moment!
I have to admit that I am a little bit hurt to know that Olivia doesn’t trust me to remove the dog when she is coming over. Just think about how it must really hurt God when we don’t trust Him to take care of our worries!
Let’s make God happy, friends! Let’s just go ahead and give Him our worries!
“Cast all of your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7 NIV)
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author — “Aboard God’s Train — A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer”, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.