I hope this editorial is as encouraging to you as the message has been to me over the past couple of weeks. It all started when I was reading chapter 8 of Mark in my Bible a couple of weeks ago.
To paraphrase the story, Jesus was moved with compassion to feed 4,000 people and he did so with just seven loaves of bread and a few fish.
He not only miraculously fed these people with a small amount of food, there were even seven baskets of leftovers collected.
So fast forward a few verses to where the disciples begin to fret as they have just one loaf of bread on the ship that they are on.
Jesus asks the disciples in verse 18, “Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?”
He then reminded them when he first fed 5,000 people and there were 12 baskets of scraps collected. He followed this with the reminder of the 4,000 people fed story.
In verse 21, it said, “And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?”
Many of us are so much like the disciples as we chose to worry instead of choosing to reflect on how God may have blessed us through tough times in the past.
How are we going to pay a certain bill? How are we going to get a car repaired? What are we going to do to repair a family situation? Will I be able to get another job?
This is when we need to remember how we made it through some of the same types of situations in the past.
Should we be surprised that we might be able to make it through the situation yet again?
If you are a person of faith and you are able to recognize those past God’s blessings, use that as fuel when similar situations come up yet again. Don’t forget what God has done for you in the past. Who says He can’t help you today?
I have several pans in the fire these days as some future plans are coming together. I have found that my natural reaction is to worry. I’ve had to refocus that energy on remembering God’s past blessings and finding peace that He is ultimately in control. When I do this, I am able to see more clearly how He has been control the entire time. I just needed to get out of the way and let Him take care of things. Choosing to worry is such a natural instinct for most of us. Do you remember the story of Moses leading the Jewish people out of Egyptian captivity as the Red Sea was parted?
Not only was it parted, but when they walked on the land that was at one time under the water, it was dry. Yet in spite of that miracle, the Jewish people complained when out of captivity and some even contemplated a possible return to it to get out of the wilderness after so many years.
Matthew 6:33-34 says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”
We are to not worry about tomorrow. I encourage every one to live simply for today. Make today great. For those whose faith is important to them, remember to seek God first and He will add the things that He deems necessary for us to have. This message is for people of faith and for people who do not attend church. All of us are guilty of worrying at some point and all of us want to react negatively first instead of reflecting on how we may have made it through a similar experience in the past. Allowing ourselves to dwell in a worry pit can also cause major health issues. All of us should be grateful for what we have, reflect on past memories and live for today and make the most of it.
