But how often do we worry still? How often do we fret about tomorrow and feel like there’s no answer to our problems? With the economic crisis our country is in and the trickledown effect it has on us and with the healthcare issues many of us are facing, the stripping away of many of our freedoms, it’s hard not to worry about tomorrow. It’s easy to be scared that we’re facing trials and persecution of epic propositions. Our season of thankfulness and celebration quickly becomes depressing if we focus on all the negative things in this world.
There is one person in my life that has always shown me that worry gets me nowhere. My father-in-law is a perfect example to me of the flowers of the fields and the birds of the air. I’ve been in the family twenty-five years (twenty-seven years if you count the dating years) and one thing I have witnessed with my father-in-law is he seems to be confident that God will provide for our family without fail. This is not to say that he hasn’t had trouble in life. He has had health problems and he’s suffered from the deaths of family members. But he is an example of a person who has built his house upon the rock.
I’m thankful for the example that my father-in-law has set for me and my husband, his sister, our children, and for my mother-in-law. The example that no matter what comes our way–whether it’s good or bad–when we trust that God knows what’s best for us and will provide exactly what we need to get through that situation, He will do it.
When trials come, my father-in-law is confident that God will take care of them. And the funny thing is: God does take care of them. And that builds more confidence in God.
Our lack of worry—our obvious confidence in God—is an example that other people see. The peacefulness on our faces even in the midst of trials. The absence of worry lines across our foreheads. When people can sit down with us and ask us how we’re so peaceful during such a traumatic or stressful time and we share with them that it’s only by the grace of God that we can get through each day, God has proven His existence in our lives.
The good days are always easy to get through. The bad days are not. But when we build our house upon the rock and we put our faith and trust in the Lord and when we choose to be obedient to him, we’ll have a joy about us that others will see from very far away. We’ll have something that is contagious. Something that other people want to catch.
Do you have someone in your life that is an example-setter? Someone who encourages you to keep your faith and trust in the Lord? I encourage you today to look for the person (or people) in your life who can inspire you to keep your hope, your faith, and your trust in the Lord. During this season of thankfulness, let those people know exactly what they’ve done for you! Let others see that they can live worry-free!
Photo of in-laws: www.kaylajohnsonphotography.com