Reason #283

I ran an errand with my mom tonight, and as we headed past our favorite yogurt shop, we couldn't help but stop and satisfy our tastebuds. I love frozen yogurt... a lot! Scout was with us so I sat outside with her while my mom went in to get our yogurt. It was pretty warm today, which made for a really lovely evening. It was dark and there was a breeze blowing the smell of coffee over from the Starbucks next door. It was so calm, and I was very much just enjoying the moment. Enjoying the warm wind blowing on my face, the smell of coffee surrounding me, and I just felt peaceful.

I've received a lot of sad news today. Nothing personally, but sad news for many others. And so my heart has been heavy. With each piece of news, my heart sank and by the end of the day I was upset because there is nothing I can do about it. Broken hearts, illness, fear, anxiety, stress, disappointment and not a thing I can do to change that. As these bits of information were shared with me, I felt pure sympathy because I could relate. I could understand and it made my stomach turn. And I thought about how I've walked through difficult things, scary things. I thought about how I've faced such stress, disappointment and anxiety and at the time I just didn't know what to do about it, either. It's hard to watch and it's hard to be the one actually dealing with difficult circumstances. And so I thought about these things tonight as I sat outside awaiting my yogurt. As I breathed in the smell of coffee, words from a song came to my mind.

 

"I cast all my cares upon you.

I lay all of my burdens down at your feet.

Anytime I don't know what to do.

I cast all my cares upon you."

 

 

Sometimes, there's just no quick fix. Sometimes, you just don't know what to do. You don't know what to say, what to think, what to feel, how to react. And sometimes, you realize that there truly is nothing you can do. Even if you tried, even if you gave it your best shot, you can't do a single thing about it. But that's what the enemy has us believing. Helpless and without hope is the lie he whispers in our ears. But even when we don't know what to do, there is always one thing we can do. Cast our cares upon Him. Lay the worries, disappointments, fears, anxieties, broken hearts and stress at His feet. Just because you don't know what to do doesn't mean He doesn't know either. He knows. He knows exactly what to do to fix it. He knows exactly how to handle the situation. He is a God of action, One who acts on our behalf out of love, grace and mercy. And so we don't have to carry around the heavy burdens on our own trying to figure out what to do with them. He doesn't require us to solve our own problems. He allows us, even invites us, to give them over to Him. Lay it down and leave it. And you may not know what to do for a while, you may have to wait and see what's to come. But rest assured that when you give Him your burdens, your concerns and worries, your fears and anxieties, He'll take them and He always knows exactly what to do.

 

#283 - Because He always knows just what to do.

 

"Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." - 1 Peter 5:7