Tripping Over Typeset

Have you ever had one of those nights when you wake up, wide awake in the middle of a great sleep?

I did that last night. I was sleeping wonderfully when all of a sudden a coughing fit and dryness in my throat woke me up from a beautiful sleep.

Since I was now alert and alive I remembered the cinnamon rolls defrosting in the fridge and decided to get a head start on the day and put them out on the counter to finish rising before morning.

I was only downstairs for a moment then I crawled back under the covers and was ready for sleep. However, sleep did not come.

My mind began thinking of previous times when I had made cinnamon rolls.

The memory from last summer when my family was coming for a reunion rolled around in my head. I thought about how much food I made in that 4 day period to feed some 30 people. I didn’t mind it. In fact, feeding and hosting friends and family is one of my favorite things.

But then my mind began thinking of another event coming up. It’s not mine to plan and execute yet my mind was worrying and filling up with all the details that need to be taken care of for this event to happen.

And there I laid wide awake worrying and planning over something that is not even mine to worry about.

How many times do we do this same thing? Fretting, stewing and flooding our minds with details and plans that we don’t need to think about or is not ours to take care of anyways. It’s not even our responsibility, yet we lose sleep and empty ourselves out of energy over events not ours to handle.

Jesus talks about this in the Sermon on the Mount.

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things and our heavenly Father knows that you need them. 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. ~  Matthew 6: 31-34 (NIV)

And as I laid in bed during the morning’s early hours I thought of these verses. I decided to put away the thoughts of worry and instead focus on sleep and the idea that rest was much more pleasant and needed. Rest is more beneficial than ruminating over events that are not mine to plan.

Sometimes it’s not that easy and our minds can be filled with troublesome thoughts and worries of the days. Yet, no matter the situation we can return to these words of encouragement. Our Father, who cares deeply for us, knows the circumstances that surround our lives. He knows our thoughts and the concerns that fill our minds and rob us of peace.

May I encourage you today to place those things in the hands of our Father. Let Him handle what concerns you today. He already knows the outcome and what is ahead for you and those you love.

Our peace comes when we rest in God’s promises.  His thoughts are not our thoughts neither are our ways His ways. His ways are higher and His thoughts more than we can comprehend or understand. Yet even in our inability to comprehend all He does, our peace comes from knowing He works all things for our good.

We can rest and be at peace when we remind ourselves and remember that He knows our tomorrow even before we wake to face the morning that faces us.