Like the rest of the world, our household experiences good times and some not so pleasant; be they health challenges, unexpected financial expenses or just plain old 鈥榯rials of life鈥�, some things are easier to navigate than others. These past ten days have been adventuresome, to say the least, for me.
One such episode was associated with the simple act of weeding. As I stood to dig out a particularly stubborn plant, I lost my balance, banged against the house and worst of all, in an effort to steady myself I put my hand against the metal siding. My hand slowly slipped down the wall until it made contact with a sharp piece of pipe. Simply put, a quick visit to the emergency department, a lot of wincing with pain and needles and a trip back home with stitches has ended my weeding for awhile.
Although that wound continues to throb, it is other matters that have caused greater stress but I鈥檒l spare you those details. Mulling over matters, a Scripture verse found in 1 Peter 5:7 is both a challenge and a comfort: 鈥淐asting all your care upon Him for He cares for you.鈥�
I鈥檇 like to say that I鈥檝e done that, clapped my hands and now can declare that my stress has been totally eliminated but that simply isn鈥檛 true. In an effort to follow Peter鈥檚 directions, I decided to check more carefully into a few definitions of the word 鈥渃asting鈥�. Here one of them: pouring molten metal into a mould in order to shape it into a desired shape. Reminds me of another Scripture: 鈥渒nowing that the testing of your faith produces patience鈥� (James 1:3)
God certainly doesn鈥檛 do mean things to tease or test us but He assures me He is near in all of life鈥檚 trials. He鈥檚 near you, too!
