With all of these challenges I have had, I really was questioning my faith in The Lord. I really messed up a lot! I let myself go down hill as I went worrying about all the physical issues and challenges of my life.
Worrying! Oh that word! That seemed to be one of my favorite past times! I worried what people thought of me. I worried about my family and raising them in The Lord. I worried about my husband working on the farm. I worried about my siblings and the challenges they faced mentally and physically. I worried about stupid stuff. I worried about myself! I just wanted to fit in and be someone important!
God says in many verses to not worry. Several verses kept coming to my heart and one was that of Matthew 6:34. Jesus said, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Another verse is that of Philippians 4:6-7. He says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?” God says in Luke 12:25. But I went on worrying. The worse of my worries was that of what people thought of me. That sin of thinking I had to be someone and fit in kept creeping into my mind.
Why, if I worried so much about these things, did I physically let myself down? Why was I physically being challenged every time I turned around? Why was I mentally being challenged every time I turned around? God said He wouldn’t give us more than we could handle right?
But you know, I’ve read that Bible in a few different versions by then and that was misconstrued a little. He says in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that temptation is common to man and God is faithful. He won’t let us be tempted beyond our ability. But that being said, He also says that with that temptation He provides a way of escape so we may be able to endure it.
He provides a way of escape! Temptation is common to man, meaning both female and male as He created them. We will be tempted but we must be with The Lord and knowledgeable in His Word to be able to get through these temptations when they arise; and we all know they creep in once in a while and for some, they creep in more than others. We are seasoned for Heaven. We all, does not matter who we are, are in the same boat.
I recall one person telling me once that they were around someone at a certain function that should have been more attentive to that individual but their attention was on a Doctor that came in. They said to that individual, “Oh, there is Dr. So & So!” They acted like this Dr. was more important than anyone else in the room.
God said He shows no partiality. We are each given talents to use and each are important to a Him. Each, not one more than the other, will be challenged and seasoned for Him. I began to think about that. I realized I was making a huge mistake! I had to turn my attitude to The Lord 180 degrees to the North!
I realized, even more as I grew, that I was a nobody to those on this earth, but I was everything to God! Each individual is everything to a Him. People are successful because of a Him! This path I was on began to narrow! I knew I had to take that narrow path because it lead to Him and not to worldly thoughts of wanting to be someone to fit in; not to WORRY about what other’s thought about me.
