Water on the Road

One of the mental parts on this journey so far has been all of the what if's, what if nots, if I need, and if I don'ts that keep creeping in. It's scary and truthfully sometimes I'm in the thick of the thoughts before I even recognize that I am jumping and trying to cross bridges I am not in front of yet. It is exhausting and it robs my peace and my joy. 

          Matthew 6:34 says

 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

 Oh! How much worry and days I have wasted worrying. I remember a few years ago when we had several unusual weeks of really bad tornado producing storms that came through the southeast. I was a nervous wreck for days. I stayed glued to the weather channel watching the storm system gain momentum over Mississippi and Alabama. Later that night, still a full day away from me, I watched and wrung my hands as it battered Georgia. Then finally the storm entered South Carolina. My heart was racing, I was continually refreshing my phone radar app..

So what happened? Surprise, I survived. lol 

Yes, we ended up in our closet shelter and at one point there were 6 radar indicated tornadoes all around our region at once. But, not a single one went over my house or even my town. 

Now, I am not trying to make light of the impressive and destructive nature of tornadoes and I know some people do get a direct hit so respecting storms and being prepared is important. However, what I was doing was beyond just being prepared. I was fixated and worrying about things that I couldn't control and that were in the future and I allowed it to steal my present joy. 

 This weekend I made the wall display pictured. I am preparing to anchor myself to truth so I don't run too far ahead of Him on this journey.  This represents to me the story of Elijah, the widowed mother and her son. For those who don't know. There was a drought and though God has initially led Eljah to a brook, the brook eventually dried up. Elijah was dismayed. He had done as the Lord had instructed but the brook had dried up anyway. Ever felt in that place before? 

God tells Elijah to travel to the home of a widow and there he would find food. The widow and Elijah meet and she too is starved and struggling and what's more, she has her son to care for too. Elijah tells her of God's directive to take some flour and oil and make bread...for him.  The widow goes home and with her last bit of flour and oil she makes the bread for the prophet. This part of the story gets me too. How often do we give but out of our abundance only, never our necessity.  But alas, that is a post for another day.

Where was I...Oh yes.  The widow gives the bread to Elijah. From that day until the rains returned God provided a never-ending daily supply of flour and oil for them to eat. Our God is good like that. He knows our needs. He goes before us and He provides enough strength, enough wisdom, enough peace, and enough provision for our todays. The trick is, we have to commit to staying in our today's to experience the contentment of being provided for. We can't run ahead into our tomorrows and expect to still have the provision of peace. God is trustworthy. He gives today what is needed for today and because of this we can have faith that He will also give us what we need for tomorrow. 

                                                   Jehovah Jireh! God will Provide! 

          How do you remember to stay grounded in just today when your mind starts to run through the              list of what if's?