Todays Trouble
““That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
(Matthew 6:25-33 NLT-SE)
Today was supposed to be the day…the day I moved my mother into a memory care facility.
As usual in a time where everything is broken, things have not gone as planned.
Deliveries were not made in time, approvals were late, and so now the big day is Friday.
I’m kind of glad it worked this way, because i am having a lot of trouble walking and my pain level is …high.
All of this has had me worried…worried sick.
Will mom adjust?
Will everything work out financially for both of our situations?
What about all the issues that have to be quickly solved after we both move?
What about the cats?
What about…me?
As soon as I get my heart settled a bit, the phone rings or an email arrives…something is wrong in the world.
It’s hard to tell people how little I care about Trump ephemera or Pride Month, or the water table in the Southeast.
I just don’t have the space to worry about much outside these walls, the walls of the memory care center or the place I’m moving.
My worry tank is full.
I’m beginning to think I’m on to something…
Maybe…all I’m supposed to ever worry about is in the circle around me and the people in front of me.
I can’t change the political landscape, free Ukraine or regulate other people’s sexual proclivities.
On top of all of that…Jesus says I have nothing to worry about.
In fact, He says that worry is a mark of unbelief..
I don’t think Jesus spoke this in the way we’re usually taught.
It’s usually preached as if Jesus felt like He was addressing a bunch of rebellious ingrates and He was tired of their mess.
That is a lie.
He was addressing us the way a parent addresses a child with unreasonable fears…in love, in concern, to comfort.
He tells me to trust Him and relax…the same way I would tell my godson or Liam when they are afraid.
He’s got me covered.
It’s going to be alright.
I believe, help my unbelief…and thank you for not adding to my stress by making me feel guilty for being human.
Amen…
I was forced to put my mother in a memory care unit in 2019.I went from one set of struggles to another. Two trips to hospice care putting her 3 children through the ringer only to magically recover. Will keep you in prayer.🙏🙏🙏
Michael,
My parents settled down well in assisted living after the first month. They appreciated the routine and they always had someone to talk to. It should give you some relief, too, as you won’t be constantly trying to take care of all your mom’s needs.
As I’m getting older, I have really grasped onto the idea of “today.” I’m not the cricket frittering my time away while the ants are working , but doing what God wants me to do today, and prayerfully tending to the future as needed, keeps me sane.
As for the rest of the world, I pray a lot regarding the world situation, especially for God’s people who are suffering, but I can’t fix it. With some extra funds I have, I support some kids through Compassion International. That’s what I can do…God will take care of the rest.
While my parents are no longer living, I do understand the worry about what my future will be. I believe, help my unbelief is a daily prayer. Keeping you in prayer, my friend.
The Dude,
Thank you…my mom is physically ok, but mentally gone…this stuff is never easy.
Linn,
It will be a relief for me, at least partially.
Mom is not a social creature…something I inherited from her genes. 🙂 I’m hoping being around people will help her.
There is much going on in the world that concerns me…I’m actually pretty apocalyptic in my private thoughts.
However, I can only help what I can touch…in person or online.
I’ll let others own the libs or make America great again….
Thanks, CK.
I’ve convinced myself for the moment that God holds my future…but there’s still a lot of day left… 🙂
Michael,
I have always found that small-scale interventions by Christians (many of us) always seem to count for something more. The early church won people over by their care and concern, not by mounting big campaigns against the emperor. The first attempts by the Reformers were mostly in secret (give or take Luther and the Wittenburg Door). They won people over with Bible translation and direct access to the Father. During my time in Colombia, I saw how whole towns had been transformed by a school (new believers needed to read the Bible) where none had been before and medical clinics. There are some of us that might be “big” in government (like Jimmy Carter), but his biggest contributions were probably Habitat for Humanity and his diplomatic work in developing countries. God knows…but I think simple obedience to the needy is where the “great” things begin.
Which, with your mom, she’ll get her needs met and so will you, from the arrangement you have described. Every time I go to see my Dad I am thankful that he has people who can make him do things (like brush his teeth and eat a proper meal) that I know I could have never done for him. When he yells at them (he has a nasty temper), it’s not personal and they know how to manage him. I can do other things (like the hour on the phone/computer I spent today working on renewing his cancelled insurance on his rental property-a big issue in California right now). I pray you and and your mom will have a smooth transition!
Timely for me, thank you.
If it is a good facility with competent and caring staff, then all will be well. We went through the same type of thing several years ago with my mom, and it worked out well. Your worry level should go down markedly once she is there and you and she are familiar with the place, the people, and the routine. It is usually the “before the fact” and the “not knowing” that causes our anxiety.
Michael,
My mom knew she was nearing the end after several hospitalizations and a spouse that was unable to care for her. She checked herself into a long-care facility and died there. We moved my dad into assisted living—he barely qualified—and then he got sick and couldn’t recover.
You have gone far above and beyond in what has been a very difficult situation. I think it is hard for many of us to accept what eventually becomes our limitations, but we all have them. And it never feels right relinquishing ourselves to them.
I often question those from other countries who say that they take care of their elderly unlike Americans. Maybe, but you’ve also likely engaged in legal elder abuse in many cases. For example, the uncle of my kids and his wife have her mom living with them. She isn’t stuck in a room or anything and I see her at functions. Yet I heard that she’s complained that she has money in an account and that they don’t let her access it. That’s financial abuse, even if they’re taking care of her.
My mom needed to be removed from her filthy hoarder home and property. She was eventually by Adult Protective Services, but it took a good 8 months. I was too weak to call myself, so I suggested it to a deputy after my mom called him to accuse me of stealing her purse. I found it the next day and shipped it to her.
When she eventually ended up in care, she needed an ankle bracelet monitor. She started OK, but then started attacking staff and residents and finally a doctor got her on hr right medication. How can a civilian deal with such things and be legally protected?
The biggest critics were my internal guilt which lasted for a few years and my mom’s former neighbor, a “frienemy” of my mom who cussed me out on the phone for being a bad son.
I didn’t know I was supposed to worry about the water table in the Southeast.
Seriously though, this is basic faith and following Jesus. Not a hair fall from my head, or a sparrow falls from the sky, without our father’s knowledge.
“I believe, help my unbelief…and thank you for not adding to my stress by making me feel guilty for being human.”
Well spoken Michael, for the very human emotion of worrying.
I get so sick and tired of preachers and pundits who claim that God is displeased with our humanity.
I think they are full-of-you-know-what.
As I am waking up I have an interesting thought related to this topic. A few days ago my wife was excited when I woke up. She had that gleam of wonder in her eyes and excitement in her voice that bring so much joy to my heart. It is one of the characteristics that inspire me. It is something I want to emulate.
After wiping the sleep from my eyes I quickly brushed my long luxurious mane and made my way to the front door where she was waiting for me. She points to the Persimmon tree nearest to the front door. She with a sense of awe and amazement tells how she witness Catarina teach her kittens to climb that tree not once or twice or several times. All I am thinking at this point is how I would have liked to witness it. Well, yesterday I partially did. I wish I had my phone with me to record it. Oh well maybe tonight.
These things and the idea of today’s trouble came to my mind this morning. I cannot count how many sermons and devotions I have heard on Matthew 6 about worry and trusting God. Yet, this morning it struck me that one aspect all these sermons and devotionals had in common is that they viewed the passage through a particular lens. The lens of being overwhelmed in the act of worrying. In other words, today’s troubles have already overtaken and are consuming us (as if this was an unpardonable sin and the anti-thesis of faith).
Bear with me as I try to formulate my idea as I am still working through it myself. What if there are times where today’s troubles are preparation for future worries? This is where Catarina and the kittens come in. She is teaching the kittens to climb the tree not because of any clear and present danger but rather for the possibility of, almost assured, a future event when the instinctual worry may be a matter of life and death. I hope that makes sense. It did to me. In the spirit of Michael “Make Your Own Application.”
Dan From Georgia,
If I worried about everything I’m supposed to worry about (like the water table), I wouldn’t get anything else done! I work on trusting God and muddle through.
I hear ya Linn. Worry and fear can literally stop you in your tracks. I know there have been times when I have had worry and all I wanted to do was go to sleep.
One quote from Irenaeus that struck me today: is over all things that are made, and all things are put under Him;
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and all the things that are put under Him are made His own; for God is not ruler and Lord over the things of another, but over His own – and all things are God’s – and therefore God is Almighty, and all things are of God.
I like your take. As my mother-in-law says to my son, “Let’s just stay on the farm.”