Grief, in all its varying levels of intensity, strikes all of us eventually. I was plunged into the deep abyss of grief when my husband died in 2008. All the stages were present: shock, denial, pain, guilt, anger, depression, reflection and loneliness. Grief truly is a multi-faceted natural response to the loss of a loved one. It is physical pain as well as emotional pain. But I managed to add one more thing to the mix: worry. I was anxious and worried about anything and everything and was not able to see anything positive in my future.
It was my younger son who snapped me back to reality. He said, “Mom, you are not supposed to worry. You are supposed to let God do that for you.” Pretty sage words for a person 27 years younger than I.
A couple of Bible verses add credence to my son’s words: Matthew 6:34 – Jesus says, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.” And in Matthew 6:27 Jesus said, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”
I now realize that worrying about the future does nothing for me. It doesn’t change anything, doesn’t add a single minute to my life, and doesn’t solve any problems. Worrying is a huge waste of time.
Trusting in God to take care of me and mine, to handle all of the overwhelming circumstances of life, gives me a real sense of peace and calm. When it comes to worrying about life’s circumstances, I can truly “Let go and let God”. And when I let go, something magical happens. I give God room to work.
Sylvia Donaldson
Comentários