Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life…look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Matthew 6:25-26
I stood at the kitchen counter,
grinding coffee to brew a fresh pot for my family—
my mind spinning with the grinder.
But my whirling thoughts produced nothing useful.
And the coffee? The coffee turned out too weak to drink.
That moment at the coffee pot was a moment of clarity for me.
As I poured out the weak coffee and started again,
I was reminded that worry robs me of energy,
while adding nothing of value to my life.
I realized that once again I had abandoned
the present moment and the task at hand
and visited the imaginary “Land of the Worry-filled Future.”
I refilled the coffee pot with fresh water,
taking in a few easy breaths, reflecting on the truth
that my part is not to figure everything out on my own.
My part is to rest in God’s care,
listening for God’s whisper of guidance,
one step at a time.
I talked with God as I ground new coffee beans,
asking God to help me to notice
when I am whirling with worry
so I can breathe and simply pray:
“Thank you, God, that you will show me what to do.
Thank you for the ways you will provide.”
This post is from Juanita’s book: Grace Rises
That image of whirling reminded me of a line from The Wisdom of Solomon..”You will run like sparks through stubble.” The Bible is full of vibrant imagery and poetry. Thank you..
Thank you for this timely reminder – something I need to practice daily. Life is whirling around me these days but what a wonderful thought that my task is to rest, to focus on him, focus on the task at hand and he will whisper his words of love and guidance in my ear.
Praying for deep soul rest for you, Tertia, in the midst of the whirl of life– as you return again and again to your true Center.
Juanita,
I’m so glad to have found you on the web. Your study on Psalm 23 (which I did with a friend last year) was such a blessing. We went through the study in tandem with the book by Phillip Keller (A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23). It was like having a mother and father lead us through our journey to better know and trust our Shepherd. Thank you for your ministry of healing the deeper, often unspoken hurts in Christians.
Thank you, Patty. Your words mean a lot to me.
This so resonates with me. Being adopted at three months, I have always tried to figure things out….”things” like who I am, who I belonged to, what my place was in the universe. For much of my life I thought I was supposed to figure everything out, to be able to just do it….while being barely seen and not heard. I watched family and friends as if outside an aquarium….hoping to get clues.
And then, this poured over into my relationship with God. Well, trying to figure things out is not bad in itself…on some levels, but trying to “figure God out” is defeating and filled with anquish….can’t possibly figure Him out, or the people around me…or the world. Your simple prayer is perfect.
It is an amazingly rich act when I breathe, and then thank Him, trusting Him and proclaiming the truth that He will show me all I need to know and He will provide. And I love it when Ihewr Him respond, “Fear not, Little Lamb.” Thank you for your reminders.
Love to you, Juanita
Thank you for sharing your story, Cheryl. I know that many people who were adopted will relate to what you are saying. There are so many kinds of loss and trauma that can leave us trying to make sense of things that don’t seem to make sense. It is such a place of rest to come back to simple prayers of gratitude and trust. Many blessings as you rest in that place.
Thank you. Blessings received.