February 25, 2015

My Worry Lobe

Read: Matthew 6:25-34

I was the principal care-giver and business manager for my late aunt. Concerns about her health and her finances, which were intertwined, sometimes found their way into my head at very inconvenient times. They never kept me from going to sleep but if I woke up at say, 3:00 am., they would have a field day in my brain’s “worry lobe.”

I found that lying in bed waiting for sleep to come back to me was, more often than not, futile. The worries just kept circling through my thoughts.

In the wee hours of one of those nights I had a flash of inspiration: talk to God. I can’t remember my exact prayer but it was something along the lines of “Lord, please guide me to do the right things for my aunt.” It worked. I did not receive a sudden flash of knowledge but perhaps that “still, small voice” spoke to me. I relaxed and got back to sleep, knowing that God would guide me. Sometimes I had no specific concerns and, rather than asking for guidance, I simply repeated the Lord’s Prayer to myself, which served to remind me of His presence.

Were all my worries gone? Did I sleep soundly every night after that? Nope. My responsibilities still, at times, seemed heavy. I did know, however, that I had help in bearing those responsibilities and that made them much easier to handle.

Fred Van de Putte