Trouble, Trouble, Trouble

Trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble,

Been doggin' my soul since the day I was born
Worry, worry, worry, worry, worry,
Just will not seem to leave my mind alone
-Trouble by Ray LaMontagne

Its funny, I think, about all the worry and trouble we go/will go through in our lives.

I sometimes get so worried and troubled over things that I cant even think straight, and when I take a minute and realize it, I’m just being stressed over nothing.
And please notice I’m not talking about the trouble you get into with your mom and dad…I’m talking about the struggle type of trouble.

For me, all of the worry and trouble comes when I try to do things on my own. It might be something small like getting a job. Or it could be something huge like what University will I go to, or where will I be in 3 years…worry and trouble comes when I try to do it on my own, without turning to my Creator (who’s got it all figured out anyways) first.

Proverbs 3:5 says ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do; and He will show you which path to take.’

Easier said than done sometimes for me.

I know that God created me with a plan. I know that God created me to do amazing things. He knows that when I get to the fork in the road I’ll go the way He set out for me…not the path I want to take. But again, sometimes I really forget that.

I think its because I don’t seek enough, and I sometimes think I can do it without His help…any of this sounding like you?
Don’t worry, you’re not alone. I think as human beings we are susceptible to do these kinds of things, and God knows we’re going to.

But that doesn’t mean we have to stop trying to not be worried and trouble, or do things on our own.

In past experiences I’ve noticed that when I think I’ve ‘got it all figured out’, God shows up and totally switches things around…which is why I know God has a sense of humor.

Think about Paul for a second…in 2 Corinthians Paul is writing to the church in Corinth, and to all the people in Greece. In the second chapter Paul tells us this: ‘We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and over whelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we though we could never live through it. In fact we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely on God, who raises the dead.’

Wow.
Later in the book Paul goes on to tell us that he was beaten, put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked till exhaustion, and went with out food and sleep for days (6:5).

Did you get all that? Paul did all of those things and finally just said ‘Ok God, this life I have is yours, I’m going through a lot right now but I’m giving it all up to you’. which is what he did, and God in turned gave him the opportunity to write to us…fellow followers of Christ.

God turned the horrible situation that Paul was in, into a beautiful opportunity.
Which is what He does in all our lives.

We could, like the lyrics say, let worry keep us down, and never leave our mind…OR we could give it to God. Tell Him what worrying and troubling you, He’ll give you the answers you’ll need.

Even as I write this, I have to remind myself of these simple truths.

Heavenly Father we come to you in surrender. We know that as humans we’re going to worry and let things trouble us; but God we also know that when we give it up to You, You’ll take it and make it better. God we know that we are no good at trying to figure our futures out, and that you are the only one with our life plans…so God remind us of that. Let us come humbly before you and ask that You take the control of our lives that we’re trying to hold onto. I thank you for all You wonderful blessings, Amen.