Piling Up

 

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."  (NIV)  Philippians 4:6

 

It certainly  has been a winter to remember here in New England.  Once again, as I write this entry, the snow continues to pile up.  Many towns, including Boston, are having difficulty finding places to actually PUT the snow.  It is beautiful to watch the snow come down.  If you are reading this in a part of the country where snow doesn't fall, it is worth trying to see - just once.  It is incredibly peaceful to watch snow fall from sky.

 

Yet, the snow does pile up, pile up, pile up!!  With the piling up of the snow can come difficult moments, concern over collapsing roofs.  Yesterday, as we were driving around, we noticed many people using an extended "snow rake" to get the snow off of their roofs.  It's difficult to manage all this snow - especially as it piles up!

 

I couldn't help but think of how things "pile up" in our own lives.  Much like the snow, as things like worry pile up in our lives, we can certainly be like the roofs in New England, collapsing under pressure.  I don't know about you, but worry can do that to me.  I may begin to start worrying about one thing and before I know it, my mind is full of worry.  I may start worrying about the children, then it's my mom, then it's work, then it's finances - all leading to a mind that is worrying more than focusing.  Have you been there with me?  It can certainly feel overwhelming - like the entire world is collapsing on us!  When that happens, I find myself unable to sleep, my mind can't focus on the positive, and my mood begins to change from happiness and joy to critical and nastiness.  All around - the compounding worry doesn't do anybody any good.

 

That's where our Dear Lord steps in.  He is like the "snow rake" of our lives, taking the worry away and leaving us with "clean roofs" that don't collapse.  I have learned over the years, that when I go to our Lord in prayer, and share with Him my worry, my weight is lifted.  The feeling of collapse goes away.  There is nobody, yes not even me, who can handle my life better than God.  He is there to listen and to act.  As we all know, it may not be acting in our time - but he provides the needed relief to us.  What happens when I give my worry to God?  Yes, I do sleep.  Yes, I am more positive and yes (my family will tell you), I am nicer to the people around me.  The feeling of "weighted snow on a roof" is relieved, and I am at peace.

 

This journey of giving my worry to God hasn't been easy.  It has been many years of trying to control things on my own, to take things back from God. although I gave them to Him, ruler of all.  This type of life only resulted in my reliance on drugs to sleep and an attitude that was many times not positive, not Christ-like at all.  Although I am much better now, there are certainly times when I fall, when the snow is heavy on my roof.  Yet, I'm drawn back to our Bible verse for today, "Do not be anxious about ANYTHING....".  God wants us to give ALL our worry to him, "...present your requests to God."  We can do that.  Together, we can give God our worries.  Take a few moments right now.  Close your eyes and ask God to take away the worry in your life - leave your concerns in good hands, God's hands.  Blessings for a week ahead that has less worry and no collapsing.  Here's to a week with our Lord!!