When I was teaching once, there was a child in my class that was a big worrier. This child was much troubled over little things. This child got very upset at every mistake that he made. He got very upset over any problem or misunderstanding. If two papers stuck together when I passed them out, it would seriously stress him that he had an extra. Even after I explained that it was an accident and he didn't have to do it, it still threw his world off kilter. I walked away from the school one day after what was a particularly stressful day for him, and I was sort of shaking my head at the little things that troubled him that didn't even matter. I cannot count how many times I told him, "Don't worry about that. I will take care of it. It's not a big deal." Then it dawned on me, God must feel that way all of the time, for nothing is too "big a deal" for God to handle. We worry over earthly things that, in the long run, really don't matter. It will all come out in the "wash" that is the great resurrection. At that time, the quarrel with a friend over some passing matter will seem silly and foolish. The clothes and shoes that seemed so important will be seen for what they are, totally trivial. Even the bills that you have fretted over and struggled to pay will be seen through new eyes when we lay eyes on the BIG God who told us, "Does not your heavenly Father know you have need of such things?" It's no big deal for Him to take care of all the little worries that we have, so it's not our business to worry about them. He has already promised to take care of them, so how can we say we trust Him and His Word if we persist in worrying about what He has already promised to take care of.
There are two men in my life that I would trust with anything. One is my daddy and the other is my husband. When either of those men tell me that they will "take care of it," I know that it's time for me to stop worrying, because it will be taken care of. They are both very resourceful men who always do what they say they will do and will go to great lengths to do it if necessary. I do not worry about what they say they can take care of. My God has compared Himself to both a Father and a Husband. Like each of these men claim responsibility for their families and the matters that concern their families, God has claimed responsibility for His people. He has promised over and over again that we will be taken care of. He is infinitely bigger and infinitely more resourceful than even the best of fathers and husbands (which, by the way, I have already claimed. All of you other ladies out there will have to claim second best for yours ;-) ) When God promises that He will take care of us, He can be trusted to keep that promise, and you can rest assured that once you ask Him, He is on the job and taking care of it in the best way. Whatever the outcome, His decision is best for the way it was taken care of. Worries are gone when you truly trust Him.
That brings me to the point I set out to talk about to begin with. If you are a good parent, then what matters to your children matters to you. You may recognize that what they want is not best for them, but it still matters to you that it is important to them. You long to be able to see them happy and satisfied. You will not sacrifice what is best for them, but if what will make them happy will be no harm to them and it is within your means to help them get it, you probably will. I remember one day when my dad took me to an auction with him. He asked me if there was anything I wanted. For some reason, I was fascinated with this little ceramic figurine of two frogs dressed in their best clothes sitting on a park bench. To look at it now, it's kind of an ugly little thing, but I liked it. My daddy bought me that little figurine, even though it wasn't probably very attractive to him and was probably more of a hassle to bid on than it was worth, but he knew it meant something to me. I felt loved and cherished when he presented me with it because I knew he'd got it just for me. I still have that figurine, and when I look at it, I'm reminded of my father's love. What matters to a child matters to the father. The same is true of a husband. How many husbands spend money or time getting flowers or chocolate or a favorite gift for their wives? Even though they may see such things as trivial and passing, they know it will make their wives happy, and if it won't overly strain the budget, they will probably indulge their wives if they can. I love dark chocolate. I could eat it all day. One day, my husband was helping build a church. Construction had been slow, and he hadn't been working much, so we were on a tight budget. We spent nothing on luxuries. After working on the church, the pastors wife took the workers into the church pantry and invited them to take something. My husband brought home one item from the church pantry: a Hershey's dark chocolate bar. Needless to say, I felt very special because he'd thought of me and chosen exactly what he knew would make me happy. What matters to me matters to my husband. Let it be known beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is a good parent and the perfect "husband." Sometimes, He does those extra special little unneccessary things to let us know how much He loves us.
Here's my latest example: The lilacs are beautiful this year. My grandma had a lilac bush in her yard when I was growing up, and I was always excited when the lilacs would bloom and that wonderful fragrance would fill her house and yard. My neighbor and landlord has a row of lilac bushes along the road in front of her house. On day last week I was eyeing them from my car. I thought, "I wish I could cut a bunch of those and put them in a vase in my house." As it was, they were too far away from our house to smell or even admire very well. That very night, there was a knock on my door. When I answered, to my surprise, there stood my neighbor with a HUGE bundle of lilac blossoms. She asked if I would like some, because a frost might come that night, and she hated to see them all killed when no one has had a chance to enjoy them yet. I was thrilled. I thanked her and put my big bouquet of lilacs in a pretty vase and enjoyed that smell for the next couple of days. I think God knew that I needed a little cheering up, so He sent a cold front just for me. Okay, so maybe it wasn't just for me, but I think he must surely have put the thought in that neighbor's head to save her flowers by sharing with me. What's more, the frost does not appear to have killed the remaining blossoms, so I can continue to admire them as I drive by. Just a couple of days ago, my mother-in-law called and said that she's got a lot of lilacs this year, so if I'd like to take some, she'd be happy for me to, so it looks like I will have a few more days of that scent filling my house. God cares about the little things.
Another bigger issue that God took care of for us recently involves our insurance. The union is set up so that if you work a certain number of hours in the fiscal year, your insurance coverage will extend for another year. If you do not, you will go to a quarterly schedule. You must work a certain number of hours during the three month quarter to extend your insurance for another three months. If you have a slow quarter, which can happen easily in the carpentery business, especially in the winter, you will lose your insurance. The fiscal year ended on the last day of April. About a week and a half before that, I was looking at Arthur's hours. It was a very slow year for construction in this area, and his hours were low this year. If he worked forty hours a week between that time and the deadline, he would still be just a few hours short. My resourceful husband said he would see what he could do. At the next union meeting, he talked to one of the "big whigs." He told Arthur to call him after it was over, and he would check his records and see if they couldn't push him through if he was close. That was encouraging to know they would try, but there was still no guarantee they could do it. The next day Arthur was at work, he mentioned to his superintendent that he was going to be just a few hours short of keeping his insurance. I don't think he really asked for help or anything. He just mentioned it. His superintendent took it to someone above him and came back and told Arthur that the two of them would be working overtime that Saturday. That just put us over the limit, and we are insured for another year! What seems big to us is small to God. He can manage it. As the Bible says, "The king's heart is in the Lord's hand. He can turn it whatever way he chooses." Arthur did all that he could to solve the problem, and God took over from there and influenced people who could do something to do something. Problem solved.
The size of the problem, big or small, doesn't matter at all, because every problem is small when placed in the hand of our BIG God. It's all relative. A step that seems simple to a parent is insurmountable if placed in front of a toddling child. We must remember that we are dust, and as such are tiny. The problems that seem big only seem that way because they are bigger than us. If God flung the stars out into space and holds the world in his hands, how small our problems must seem when they are placed in His hands! This world will pass away and everything in it. The things that seemed so important that caused you so much worry will be gone. We must stop spending all of our energy on worry and go to work to make a difference in areas that will last. If you can help someone else along the way, you have made an investment that can survive this dying world. Live in a way that is pleasing to our Lord and trust Him to take care of the details. Our God is so loving and compassionate. He cares about the little matters that affect us. The children in kid's club sing a song that we probably have all heard, but we seldom think much about it. After thinking about God's care for us, I think it will mean a bit more to me now than it did when I sang it as a child.
He's got the whole world in His hands.
He's got the whole wide world in His hands.
He's got the whole world in His hands.
He's got the whole world in His hands!
He's got you and me, brother, in His hands.
He's got you and me, sister, in His hands.
He's got you and me, brother, in His hands.
He's got the whole world in His hands!
1 comment:
Reading this made ME stop and think how many times God took care of the small things for me! Aunt Diane
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