Tie A Knot and Hang On!

Do you ever have those days when you feel like you are watching a massive landslide head straight for you ... with no escape route? You've heard the phrase "When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on!" ... but what do you do when the knot begins to unravel? (written 10 July 07)

As a child, faith was so easy. I never thought about things like money, bills, a job, buying gas .. you know, all the assorted things that go along with "adulthood". I had no doubt at all that I would be provided for. Looking back, I wonder if the progression in the financial mire that can sometimes be adulthood would have been different, if the faith had been stronger. I truly believe in the words "Let go, and let God." What my heart and soul believes, however, sometimes has a harder time communicating with my brain. There are days when it feels as if all I do is work, eat, and occasionally sleep. What don't you see? I pray. A lot.

I have so much to be thankful for, that it seems small-minded and petty of me to complain. The mess I'm in is of my own making, and I have to correct that. Short of winning the lottery, I have to do what everyone else I know does day in and day out ... I work. What right do I have to complain? I have a job! I work in an air-conditioned environment, and my job does not depend on the unpredictable weather. Unlike the farmer who gets up extremely early and toils outside in the heat/dry/cold, I work in relative comfort most of the time. My job(s) do not require me to compete with my neighbor to get my crop to market, or to feed my livestock just so. I have a roof over my head, a car to get me where I need to go, and food to eat. Why then, the struggle? The struggle is internal, the logical brain shouting "it won't work" and the heart and soul calmly saying "let God handle it."

Every day, I remind myself that I do not know what factors are affecting the life of those with whom I come into contact. Do they have a sick loved one, are they unemployed, do they have a loved one in harm's way, either overseas or in a dangerous job? As I pray daily for peace, I must remember to pray for those who have suffering far greater than any that I can imagine. Lord, I pray for your help to stand fast in my faith and I believe in your almighty power to accomplish miracles every day.

"Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light." ~Micah 7:8 NIV