I sat this morning cuddled in a fuzzy blanket, sipping on my black coffee, and reading about differing joules required for cardioversion. Blah, blah, blah.
I had gone to bed early and then risen early to review these concepts for advanced life support. Never wanting to be caught unprepared, I was determined to be able to recall even the most useless fact if it so happened to be needed from me for testing purposes, but my readings were being disrupted by the cries of a baby deciding that rising early indeed sounded like a good idea to her as well.
I tried in vain at one point to breastfeed a bouncing babe while still absorbing statistical data, but realized the futility straight away.
As I drained the lukewarm java from my mug I thought of all the many items on my agenda. Chores that had to be done, errands that had to be run, even an email that I desperately desired to respond to. I realized I hadn’t washed my hair in over three days and knew a shower should really be in the cards for the sake of everyone. I tried to weigh the decision of attending the bible study that evening that I didn’t want to miss or utilizing the time to cram for a test in the morning. But before I could worry about any of that I fed the masses.
I am completely aware that these are small things. They are not big issues in the grand scheme of things. Not at all. They are my everyday, petty problems. And that’s the point. So if you’ve made it this far, then hang in with me a bit further. Maybe even make it to the end.
Anyway, after breakfast I started to run my much needed bath water. Within minutes the children came running as if a cattle call was in progress. The sound of the water drew them like Pavlov’s bell. The three year old entered the doorway while simultaneously ripping out of her pajamas and the baby rushed to throw a non-water toy into the rising bath. I managed to stop her from drowning the cloth baby doll, but could see the merriment dancing in her huge eyes as she imagined the next thing she could throw inside. Or into the toilet. That was just as good for her joy.
I don’t recall what I said at that moment to my little girl. I suppose the words don’t matter, but rather the tone, for she responded,
“Could you please use your nice voice today?”
The kid is only three years old, but I swear she’s like a tiny guru or something, constantly speaking truth and causing me to ponder and reflect. You know, something I definitely don’t have time for, but oh so desperately need.
It’s no big secret that the amount of items I have on my to-do list is directly disproportionate to the amount of patience I hold for my children. In other words, the more I have to do, the less tolerant I am of my kids simply being kids. I don’t want it to be this way, but that’s usually how the chips fall. And when they fall on the carpet, I get pretty agitated.
As we all squeezed into the tiny bathroom together and I began the exciting game of “let me hurry and cleanse myself before someone wants to eat, poop, or sleep,” I watched my daughter float a Barbie doll in a stackable ring, baby toy, and I thought of my time in the Navy.
In bootcamp they taught us a lot of basic survival type strategies, a majority of those having to deal with water naturally. At one such time they actually taught us how to use our pants as a life-saving device.
If bobbing alone in the ocean deep you could remove your trousers, tie the ends into knots, and capture an air pocket in the legs causing the water-proof pants to transform into a buoy.
It seems to be that a lot of the time we finite humans are left feeling like we’re bobbing along in a vast expanse of sea waves with no sign of rescue, much less anything of which to grab a hold of to keep us afloat. It would be amazing in these near-drowning moments to simply be able to do something, anything, such as turn your slacks into a savior.
What if your life-saving apparatus was so close at hand?
I think the common misconception is that you can only ask for help when things are really bad.
Most have heard this Bible verse:
Psalm 55:22
Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.
A lot of us, myself included, are aware that God is willing to take the brunt of our problems and give us a life-line. So in times of high emotional stress, when we have reached the end of our rope, and in essence have no clue how we can go any further, we call out to our God. In times of sickness, grief, financial struggles, or broken relationships we call out for God to take our burdens from us.
Oh help me God! we cry.
And I think this is good and everything. I mean God loves the cry of a honest, broken heart when it finally admits dependence on His strength, but does it always have to go like this?
What if we called out to God for the small, seemingly silly stuff?
God doesn’t care about that stuff! you say.
Well, what if He does?
I think we sometimes confuse how people think, or how we think, with how God thinks. We assume that if our spouse or best friend doesn’t have time to hear about our irrational fears, then neither does God.
We think about the times we said to someone, “Call me if you need anything,” but we seriously hoped they wouldn’t call, because we were just trying to be nice. We really didn’t have the desire nor time to help!
God isn’t like us folks. We were created in His image, but where we fall short, He is perfect. Where we lack, He exceeds.
1 Peter 5:7 says
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
It doesn’t say “some” or “only the big, important stuff.” It says all. He wants it all because He cares for us.
We find ourselves in situations where we feel like we’re sinking quite often. It’s the nature of the beast of a fast-paced society. The thing is, we never need go under. We always have a life-saving device at hand, within arm’s length.
When we can give Him the small things, not waiting until it becomes monstrous, a daily, calm walk with Jesus is present. We’re able to handle things calmly, appropriately, and using our “nice” voice because we have help in our endeavors.
Now that you know you can ask, join me in a daily surrender to Jesus. Let’s make this beautiful life as enjoyable as possible. After all, isn’t it a relief to know someone cares about your petty problems?
April Hodges says
I completely get this- I get wrapped up in my “probelms” all the time. I can totally picture my 2 & 4 year old boys flocking to the bathtub like your precious ones did, lol! I definitely need the reminder to share ALL my problems with Jesus, and not just wait till I can’t handle it anymore on my own. Thank you for this post, you have a gift and have been a blessing!
brieann.rn@gmail.com says
Thank you so much. I’m so glad my post found you and Jesus blessed you with it. That makes me smile.