I have a love/hate relationship with my lawn mower.
I love the way the grass looks once it is cut.
The hate part?
Pushing it requires work. It takes energy, it takes time...
Besides, there will always be areas where the machine can't get -- like around the bases of the fence and in the corners. And the grass only looks nice for a couple days before it begins to need cutting again...
I saw a truck the other day with the words, "Lawn Care" written on the side. Two young men in blue shirts were pushing lawnmowers, and one was using a trimmer on all the areas the mowers wouldn't reach. Wait. What a great idea! All the good things about cutting the lawn, without any of the bad!
It makes me think about life's problems. They are there. We apply a "fix" -- counselling, mechanics, finding new jobs, seeing the doctor -- and there is some satisfaction in seeing the "fix" begin to work until the problem is resolved. But mere antibiotics can't cure most of life's problems. Neither can counselors, mechanics or good jobs. Some of them are so large that no matter what "fix" you apply, they can't be resolved. And just like mowing the lawn doesn't stop the grass from growing back, clearing up an infection -- or seeing a marriage counselor or taking your car to the mechanic or finding a new job -- won't stop problems from returning either.
So what to do? Is there a "Problem Care" service?
Good news: "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." (1 Peter 5:7 NLT).
Just like there are two ways to get my lawn cut -- To push though and do it myself, or to hire a lawn service -- there are also two ways to get through the problems of life. We can worry about them and try to fix them ourselves, or we can give them to the One who truly can fix them.
But wait, you say. I have tried to give my problems and my worry to God; but how can I "not" worry when they aren't resolving? When it seems like my prayers are bouncing off the ceiling?
Are you sure they aren't resolving? Are you certain that your prayers aren't reaching Heaven? Is it possible that God is providing for you in a different way?
I once knew someone who was praying for a job. When it didn't materialize, that person began questioning whether God even heard the prayers. That person would later tell me that during even the worst of the unemployment crisis, they always had enough. God was providing for them, and they didn't need to worry about finances, even when the job didn't materialize.
I, myself, prayed for God to heal me of cancer. No matter how hard I prayed, however, the tumour remained. In the end, I had to undergo cancer treatment via the medical system. Did God hear my prayers? Absolutely. In the end, I was healed. Maybe the healing didn't look quite the way I had anticipated, but the cancer was gone just the same. And while going through this experience, God was right there, holding me up, carrying me through; and perhaps most importantly, He was teaching me important lessons on how to help others who are going through similar experiences.
When we truly cast our worries upon God, He comes through for us. His solutions are in His time and His way; but even while we continue to wait, He is there to help us through.
Problems abounding? What it will be? Will you worry? Or will you give the worry to the "Problem Care" specialist, the God of the universe who loves you exponentially more than you can even imagine? Will you try to find your own solutions? Or will you trust God to provide for your needs in His way, even when the "desired" outcome seems to be nothing but a pipe dream?
I don't know about you, but I want to subscribe to that "Lawn Care" service... And I want to subscribe to the "Problem Care" service as well!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author -- "Aboard God's Train -- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.
