March 1 – “You get to choose”

 

 

The funeral for Chris' Dad is this Saturday in Bay City.  Family visitation time is Friday night.  I had one of those weird, fumbling, ah-ha moments yesterday while I was working on the teaching for church Sunday.  I got to thinking about Chris and her family and all the relationship drama involved there.  That morphed into thoughts about the relationship drama of some kind or another that probably exists in pretty much every family at some level or another.  Which extended into the idea that the whole drama thing of wondering what others think and worrying about offending someone and struggling with how to say what to whom and when was way too exhausting. It just didn't seem worth all the effort people put into it day after day, year after year.

 

It's amazing how little your circumstances matter when you consider every single person in every single country around the world.  There is always someone who is better off than you.  There is always someone who is worse off than you.  That circumstance that you are sure will be the end of the world as you know it is not even a blip on the radar of the person you passed in the bread aisle at Randalls.  And the fact is, you worrying about something never really helps solve the problem anyway.  It just creates a lot of stress that bubbles over into physical illness or psychological depression or relational disaster.

 

Remember that there is going to be an end to whatever your ongoing waking nightmare is.  People are going to wake up tomorrow.  Lives are going to go on.  Babies will be born.  Some people will be hungry.  Some will be gluttons.  Some people will do everything they can to encourage those around them.  Some will be complete jerks.  So how much better would it be to live your life free from the gut-wrenching anticipation of the next problem that's bound to come up?  Amazingly, you get to choose.  You don't have to be sucked into the games people play or the circumstances that seem to engulf you.  Choose to live above all that.  You won't be alone. 

 

Matthew 6:33-34 says, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

 

Father, give Chris the clarity of mind to live the next three days with a clear view of your kingdom and your righteousness.  Amen.