Don't Worry, Be Happy

~It really seems a small miracle today that the verses I would read and reflect upon would center around the futility of worrying. Yes, Lord, this is something I needed to hear today, to remember once more that You are in control of all things. When I worry about the outcome of something or about problems that I'm encountering or basic needs and how they will be met, I only need to remember these verses and my Lord... upon whom I can cast all of my cares.

Uncertainty
Genesis 15:1-16:16

"After these things happened, the Lord spoke his word to Abram in a vision: 'Abram, don't be afraid. I will defend you, and I will give you a great reward.'... Abram believed the Lord. And the Lord accepted Abram's faith, and that faith made him right with God." (Genesis 15:1, 6)

Financial problems here at the University of Arizona have recently brought me back to reality of the here and now. My contract is technically for one year, but next year who knows what will happen in terms of funding?

I often like to fool myself into thinking I can plan my whole life out step by step. 1. Graduate High School. 2. Graduate College. 3. Get a Job. Those who know me understand that this has not been the case for me at all. Perhaps that is God's plan for some, but God has led me to many different places in my life. So much so that my friend Ashley coined the Katie question as, "Where is Katie?" And God's faithfulness in taking me to such wonderful situations has shown me that I need not fear but only believe in God's goodness... constantly seeking to follow wherever God leads. I don't need to worry about where I'll be next year, because that plan will soon become obsolete when God's perfect plan is revealed.

Troubles
Psalm 5:1-6

"Lord, listen to my words. Understand my sadness. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, because I pray to you. Lord, every morning you hear my voice. Every morning, I tell you what I need, and I wait for your answer." (Psalm 5:1-3)

I once heard it described in a sermon that "worry is meditation turned inwards." Instead of spending my time worrying about problems and difficulties, sadness, etc, it is better to pray to the Lord... pray to God about everything. This year I will continue to pray to God every morning, tell God what I need, and I hope to become better at waiting more patiently for God's answer. My worry accomplishes nothing, but seeking God's will in prayer provides a peace in my life that is hard to describe.

Needs
Matthew 6:19-34

"So I tell you, don't worry about the food or drink you need to live, or about the clothes you need for your body. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes. Look at the birds in the air. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. And you know that you are worth much more than the birds. You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it." (Matthew 6:25-27)

This verse reminds me of a conversation with Pastor Cortes who talked about some things that happen but don't make any sense. Like the tithe, it doesn't make sense that if you give away 10% of what you earn, you will seem to have abundantly more than you need. Or if you take time for daily devotions, it doesn't seem that you would logically have more than enough time to complete everything else during the day. I don't understand it, but somehow these realities have been revealed in my life.

Similarly, if I don't worry about food or drink or clothes or basic necessities, I have enough... more than enough. In Brazil at times when I was barely making the budget, I'd get invited to a friends house to eat, or someone would decide to give me a bunch of avocados from their tree or some clothes that they no longer were using. Some would call these mere coincidences, but I am sure that the Lord was looking out for me in these moments... small miracles for which I praised God and His provision. Another aspect of not worrying about these things is being generous. When we stop worrying incessantly about how we will have enough, we have more than enough to go around. As they say in Brazil, "Onde come um, comem dois." (Where one eats, two eat.) This, however, is not an excuse to practice poor stewardship or live outside or our means... God will provide, but we also need to me responsible and realistic about what we need. God doesn't give birds a 5 course dinner banquet, but the grains they need to survive. Lord, help me to leave my worries behind as I rest in the knowledge that You are my provider.