Do not worry

In Matthew 6:25, Jesus commands us "do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear, is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?'  If that isn't enough He goes on in verse 27 to say, "can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"  There's a reason Jesus commands us not to worry.  The picture above of my sister and I demonstrate it perfectly.  This picture was taken exactly one year ago today.  We had a sisters weekend in Alabama, celebrating our cousin, Kelly's, wedding.  Kim, my mom and I live the phrase, "Enjoy every second."  We do life well and I've learned the things I worry about never come to fruition.  It's the things I don't see coming that hit me the hardest, but God is never surprised.  In every season of my own suffering I can see all He has done to prepare me for it weeks and months before they happen.  The same is true of when I'm going through the suffering.  Once the dust settles I can look back at my situation and "know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28).  Last year my sister and I dolled ourselves up, laughed, drank and ate together.  We had no clue that within the next year our sweet dad would pass away, that my dearest friends (the Ausili's) would be moving and that our dear mother would suffer a debilitating stroke, and strokes are something Kim and I are sadly all too familiar with.  In the past 2 1/2 years I've endured a devastating job loss, the start up of a new business, my dads death, the move of our sweet friends and the stroke of my mother.  I am better and stronger because of those trials.  That doesn't mean they make sense to me because they don't.  Mike's job loss did but that was my only trial that made sense to me.  During this difficult season I remind myself daily that I am not God, period.  Recently I was texting with a friend of my mom's who has known her since they were young but she has lived in another state for a long time.  She said that one day we will stand before the Lord and we can ask Him why certain things occurred during our earthly life, but then as we texted some more we came to the conclusion that when we do receive our heavenly inheritance none of this earthly garbage is going matter.  I simply want to be able to stand before the Lord and have him say, "Well done, child, well done."