Wipe-Out Worry

Three-year-old Cherie tossed in her bed, so her mother went to check. Her forehead felt warm. What now? It was late January, and her family of four had been in and out of sickbay for six weeks.

“Honey,” her mother whispered. “Come let Mama hold you.”

“Aw right,” she said, climbing into the rocker.

“Cherie, I’m sorry you aren’t feeling well.” Her voice was heavy with anxiety.

“That’s aw right, mamma. We pray ’bout it, then you won’t haf to worry.”

Isn’t that the root of much of our trouble? Worry? “We pray . . . ,” she said.

Prayer takes time, and time is precious. Our schedules seem full. The clock is ticking. The guests will arrive soon. We worry and forget to toss that aside and be thankful people will come.

Children are full of details and come running to share. In love, we listen, share, and interact. How much more God cares about us. But, too often, we forget to pray.

When we get to the end of ourselves, He wants us to come. But we are helpless every day. In God’s sight, we’re like the infant crying in the crib.

No, I’m a responsible adult. I can reason and manipulate. A war goes on within us, and it won’t cease until we fall on our knees and confess. Until we remember to give God the anxiety.

When we each admit “I’m helpless,” we remember to trust God for every need. We can tell Him everything. He will calm our hearts. We can thank God for the food we have to serve (another lesson from a child). Let us remember the words of a three-year-old theologian, “We pray ’bout it, then you won’t haf to worry.’”

Today’s Peace Step: Ask God to replace your fear with peace.