Saturday, June 20, 2009

Why Worry?

I have had a very rough two weeks. My husband became ill, which he never does, and I began to worry. I did a very unhealthy thing. Instead of turning to God in my fear, I turned to the internet for answers. All I got was confusion and more fear! The information I found led me to such a state of mind. Wow! I even made my husband fearful and unable to function for days. Why do we do this? I was led to share something I wrote eight years ago for a support group I was in. I'll tell you how the situation with my husband turned out afterwards.

Why Worry?

What do you worry about? Do you only worry about major things or do you find yourself all stressed out by everyday things? We worry about our jobs, having enough money, enough food, what kind of house we live in, health, death, and the list goes on. Are we giving these worries to God or do we just keep them for ourselves? If we are not giving them to the Lord, then we are trusting ourselves to provide all these things and to take care of all situations. That is a big load to carry! "Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall." (Psalm 55:22 NIV)

We can be concerned about something without being worried. When we worry our mind is troubled or bothered. If we are merely concerned, we care about the outcome of a particular situation. We should concern ourselves about one another. This means that we become involved-we care, we love, etc. The Lord said that the second greatest command is to love each other. (Matthew 22:39 NIV) We cannot truly love each other without being concerned. Concern is caring. Worry, on the other hand, is not trusting God to provide all of our needs. If worry is not trusting God, then when we are worried by something, in effect, are we not calling Him a liar?

In our humanness, we sometimes cannot help but worry, especially when there is an emergency of some type. God says that He will provide for us, help us, teach us, guide us and protect us. We have to believe, by faith, that He will do what He has promised. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV) God does the worrying for us so we don't have to!

Worry takes our focus off of the really important things of life. When we allow ourselves to become so troubled that we become known as the neighborhood "worry wart", we will miss out on the joys of living. Why do you think worry is called a "wart"? A wart is an unsightly, if not ugly, thing; no one wants one! And worry is just as unsightly, and it can become ugly if left unattended. Worry is negative and anything negative is not from God. Worry is useless! "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (Matthew 6:27 NIV) If it does not add to our life in some way, it is not worth the effort.

Seek God's promises about our provision. Start with Matthew 6:25-34. If we belong to the Lord, then we do not have to worry about anything ever again; our life is secure and our future is sealed! Concern yourselves with each other-care for each other, love each other, involve yourselves in each other's lives-but do not worry! Have faith, friends, God is in control and we are His priority!!

It's too bad I didn't remember this when my husband got sick. He went to the doctor and found out he had nothing more than an infection. But, we also found out that he has pre-diabetes. If he hadn't had the infection, we wouldn't have gone to the doctor and this thing could have progressed to full-blown diabetes. I say this all the time but, God is taking care of us even before we know we need it!! I lost two whole weeks because of worry. I will remember to seek the Lord in all things---FIRST!

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

The Hill


The following is a poem that I wrote many years ago. My youngest daughter chose it for a poetry study for her english final in college. I was honored that she would choose something of mine instead of all the poets she had to choose from. The introduction to her paper said that this poem is one of hope. I guess she is right about that. If you know where you're going, then there is no real need for fear of death. I loved her words and thought I'd share the poem here. (I hadn't read it in such a long time and was surprised by the "Native American" tone that it has. I am not Native American.) Enjoy!


The Hill

When I'm sad and lonely
I go to the hill
and gaze down upon the land.
I see the meadow below the trees
and listen to the words of the wind.

"Cherish your childhood
by young and gay.
Enjoy the moment
live for today.
Look to your brother
when you need a hand.
Be kind to each other
and you will understand."

When I'm tired and helpless
I go to the hill
and lift up my eyes to the warmth I find there.
I see the sunshine reaching to me
with its rays.
And listen to the song of the whipporwill.

"Be thankful for yesterday
the memories you will keep.
Time will heal the sorrow
no need to weep.
Look to your sister
when you need a friend.
With love in your heart
you will begin again."


When I'm rich and joyful
I go to the hill
and sit there upon my knees.
I see the twinkling stars at night
and listen to whispers of the breeze.

"If you are humble and grateful
and giving of your wealth
Forever happy you will be
no longer cold or hungry or of ill health.
Look to the Father
when your soul needs a lift.
Take the love that He offers
for this is His gift."

When I'm old and wrinkled
I will go to the hill
and lie down in the warm brown earth.
I will see the heavens open and wait for me
and listen to the echoes of my past.

"Be proud and peaceful
for you've lived a good life.
With hard work and patience
you've overcome the pain and strife.
Lay down your troubles
and rest your weary head.
You may lie here forever
and sleep upon My hill."


Tralyn Kidder-Hughes
October, 1997

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

A Perfect Moment in Time






I'm sitting here straight across from the open window. The fan is on high so I feel the breeze from the rainy day beyond. It is a good, heavy, soaking late-spring rain. The way my building is positioned I face the end of another building causing an echo effect between the two. The sounds of the raindrops hitting the pavement two floors below is amplified. I have soft, soothing music playing. Every now and then a bird will sing from the tree. The mood is very tranquil and serene. My soul takes a deep breath and as it exhales I can feel all the stress and tension leave my body. At this moment in time I am totally at peace. No thoughts to cloud up the mind. In fact, I am so at peace right now, it's hard to write because I really have to force my mind on the words instead of allowing it to float away on the music drifting out my window into the rain. What a perfect moment in time! Except now my kitty wants attention so slowly the demands of the day will start creeping back in.

That's the way life is, isn't it? We have all these little snippets of time that are strung together like rare pearls around the perfectly shaped neck. Each pearl looks the same, uniform, from a distance but on closer inspection each pearl is a little different than the next. The difference might only be the color that reflects off of one small place, but it's there; the one thing that makes each pearl unique.

People have a way of overlooking the uniqueness of each new day. We get so caught up in our everyday schedules and routines that we miss the one thing that makes today different from yesterday and tomorrow from today. When we look at our week all strung together, the days all look the same. A popular response to the question "How was your day?" is, "You know, same old stuff, different day." We miss it. Every day isn't going to be some great, exciting, remember-it-for-life kind of day. Those kinds of days are special treats we get every now and then. But there is something special and unique about every single day of our lives. We have to watch for it. It may be nothing more than a smile from a new neighbor or stranger on the street. It might be a parking space that opened up right in front just as you turned the corner. Or it might be the way the breeze through the window and the music on that breeze and the rain beyond it all meld together to give you a moment of perfect peace in the middle of your day.

I have so much waiting for me on my desk, in the sink and in the laundry basket, just like every other day. But for right now in this moment of this day, I have the kind of perfect peace that can't be duplicated. It will never be the same again. It is mine just for today, the one small niche that makes this rare pearl unique. My soul takes another deep breath and it floats away with the music on the breeze to the rain beyond. A perfect moment in time.

About Me

I have been writing since I was a child. Now that circumstances have changed in my life, I have begun to take my passion for writing to a new level. First and foremost, I am a child of God. I am a wife of 26 years. We have 3 wonderful children who have all begun lives on their own. I love all my pets, they really are like little children!
"If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."~Toni Morrison

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