Do Not Be Anxious Part 2
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. - Matthew 6:34
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Having my three Danish grandkids visit was a big deal for me. I usually only get to see them maybe once a year and I was looking forward to bonding more with them. My daughter, her husband and the three grandkids flew into Los Angeles on December 13 to visit Palm Springs for a week, and then fly up to Seattle for the next two weeks. I was anxious to have everything ready and perfect for them when they arrived in Palm Springs.
I began to fret over everything. Will the pool be warm? Is the water on? Is there hot water? Is the place clean? Will the weather cooperate? What will we do if the weather isn’t nice? And then there is going up Mt. San Jacinto on the tram. Will we need to book tickets in advance? Will they be booked? What will the weather be like at 9,000 feet above the desert?
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And then there is Disneyland. Well-meaning friends tried to prepare me. “Have you purchased your park tickets for everyone? Did you make reservations to get into the park?” (I thought it odd that in addition to booking tickets for a specific Wednesday, I would also have to make a reservation!) “Have you downloaded the Disney app? It has to be for Disneyland and not Disney World. Have you purchased Lightning Lane? Watch the YouTube video on how to use it efficiently. Get to the park at least a half hour before it opens. Book a restaurant early. Use the Toy Story shuttle to get to the park. Start booking your Lightning Lane rides as soon as you go through the gates.”
The advice went on and on. With all of this helpful information, what could possibly go wrong? I was dying inside. My Danish grandkids were so excited to visit Disneyland, and I felt the whole weight of their expectations riding on my shoulders. I didn’t even know how to get to the park from our hotel! I had visions of my grandchildren being in therapy as adults. The therapist asks, “So, what do you think happened in your childhood that has made you so dysfunctional as an adult?” My grandchild answers, “My grandpa ruined my visit to Disneyland!”
Worried? Anxious? Uncertain? In over my head? You bet! The stakes were high!
But Scripture says, “With thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6) I wish I could say that I humbly went before God on my knees and presented all these requests to Him. I’m just not wired to give up the reins that easily. I needed some object lessons to let me know who was really in control (and I don’t mean Carol).
The pool was warm. The water was on. The villa was clean. The weather was perfect. We walked onto the tram at Mt. San Jacinto (no advance tickets). We made it to Anaheim and our hotel. We found our way to Disneyland and even the Toy Story shuttle. We downloaded the Disney app and learned how to use Lightning Lane. Everyone rode all the rides they wanted. The girls got their visit with Disney princesses.
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We saw the parade, light show and fireworks. And I ran through the caves of Tom Sawyer’s Island with my grandson, Norman. We enjoyed a nice dinner at a “booked” Asian restaurant.
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The kids and parents were delighted with Disneyland. They said it was everything they hoped for. With all my worry and anxiety, I couldn’t have engineered even a fraction of the joy that was felt that day. We returned to the hotel satisfied, happy and tired with over 20,000 steps on our iPhone.
I am slow to learn to trust God to take care my needs and those of my family and friends. But I am learning.
But wait! There’s more! We haven’t even gotten to Seattle yet, and there is so much that can still go wrong.
-to be continued
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