The cares of this world....

Okay, I lied. I am going to post again before vacation... but only because I happen to be thinking about something OTHER than vacation for the time being! Last night there was a very LOUD thunderstorm. Actually, it was probably more like 4 a.m., but if it's dark I think it still qualifies as night. (Anyway, I'm not getting up.)


This particular thunderstorm absolutely lit up the sky, then was followed by the kind of thunder that actually makes you jump out of your peaceful sleep. In fact, it continued so long we never really got back into a peaceful sleep. While I don't particularly like missing out on my sleep-time, it turns out the middle of the night is a great time for thinking. Maybe it's because my mind isn't full of so many of my day-thoughts, but when I'm awakened in the middle of the night, I consider a lot of things I don't have time to consider during my busy day. It seems like God speaks to me at those times, but I'm pretty sure it's more like I finally listen at those times.


Last night as the storms raged around me, I thought about Jesus encouraging us not to be consumed by the cares of this world when he returns. Now, my first thought was if he warned us about this, chances are he had a pretty good idea it could be a problem. And, of course, it is.

I spent a lot of time pondering this last night. Obviously, there are a lot of things I need to care about in this world. But my desire is to be able to care about these things and deal with them without becoming consumed with them. I have found through my life that being consumed by anything or anyone outside of God is just plain unhealthy. Being consumed with Him brings balance . . . joy . . . peace. Being consumed with anything else... it just saps you of your energy.

So I guess I just wanted to share with you my ponderings of a sleepless night. I know there are lots of things trying to pull us lots of directions. There are things that try to sap us of our energy and our emotional health. There are things that beg to consume us.

But do a quick check to be sure the only thing you let consume you is God. If you need an easy test . . . You can tell it's him because the burden is so incredibly light!