Do Not Be Anxious

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  - Philippians 4:6 

My daughter, her husband and our three Danish grandkids were flying into Los Angeles on December 13 for a three-week visit with us in both Palm Springs and Seattle. Anticipating this, I was trying to get all my commitments and promises completed before this date.

One work assignment involved coordinating a half a dozen techs spread all over the country for a Zoom meeting on December 12 to resolve a meter reading issue. Some people were on vacation, others not responding and others were only available at certain times. My anxiety level was skyrocketing. I was carrying the weight of this, and it was affecting everything else going on around me. “Do not be anxious about anything…” Easy to say, harder to practice. It is kind of like saying, “Time heals all wounds.” Not true! If it were true, then all old people would be happy, content and well adjusted.

Nonetheless, I did ask God for help…many times. In the end, He found a way for me to resolve the metering issue without getting everyone together: a solution I would never have come up with on my own.

There were other tasks to complete before leaving for LA. Our home and waterfront needed to be winterized, no small task. I was still dealing with our wonderful coffee maker at Creekside. I wanted to finish a couple electrical installations in the church. There were other issues with work I wanted to complete. I was letting all this get to me. I was anxious. I was having tremendous difficulty letting go and turning it over to God. It was sapping my joy. Yet, in the end, it all came together. My worry and anxiety didn’t do a thing to help.

But now we are flying to LAX to meet our Denmark family. We'll rent a mini van, pickup the kids at the airport, and drive to Palm Springs on a Friday afternoon at rush hour. What could possibly go wrong? My anxiety meter was again moving toward the upper scales. I’m not familiar with LAX. I’m not familiar with the pickup points. Would the van be big enough for seven people and their luggage? Would the kids be hungry? Would they be comfortable? How will we coordinate meeting them? Carol (bless her heart) said, “Well, let's pray that everything comes together.” And so we did. And so it did.

After a few bumps and missed calls, we did connect and pick them up. The drive to Palm Springs took four and a half hours. The kids slept a lot and our small villa was waiting for us when we arrived.

It felt so good to arrive at our villa where I was familiar with just about everything. I knew where everything was, how to fix it when it broke, how to make our guests comfortable. The weather was clear and in the high 70’s. No wind. Why didn’t I just trust in God that He would make everything come together? This was a nice reminder that I can trust in Him, and that He is in control.

But wait! This is just the beginning of our three-week sojourn with my daughter and her family. There is the pool, the tram up Mt. San Jacinto, the drive to Disneyland, Disneyland itself, the timeshare, the drive back to Palm Springs! Oh, my! There is so much more to be anxious about, so much more to worry about. No, I guess I haven’t learned a thing.

-to be continued