"And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his height?" (Luke, chapter 12, verse 25*).
- Cindy, will you go through the boxes of college and work papers to decide which to keep and which to recycle? – my mother asked.
My parents were decluttering the chaos of belongings accumulated from many years of living in this house and caring for three children.
As I examined the contents of the boxes, I discovered essays and projects I had written for my teaching degree. Reviewing the grades and comments, I recalled the stress and looming deadlines, as well as the constant fear of failure. I returned to a time filled with feelings of urgency and anxiety about the future. What was all that worry and panic for? The anxiety achieved nothing but filled me with stress. What was so urgent and important back then is now part of the past.
Constant worrying is truly a waste of time, as one day, like the papers I fed into the shredder, it will pass. We are not meant to live in the past but to allow ourselves to be continually renewed. Although it was difficult to destroy the essays I had spent hours working on, it was the right thing to do, as they represented a part of the past. Now I can embrace the hope of new adventures and new undertakings with God more confidently. I have learned that regardless of what happens, the Lord will guide us to where we need to be, even if it is unexpected for us.
Link to the original article: https://www.upperroom.org/devotionals/en-2023-12-31
* Bible quotes are from Bible, new translation from the original languages © Bulgarian Bible Society 2013