“as far as the east
is from the west,
so far does he remove
our transgressions from us.”
PSALM 103:12 ESV
I wish I could shed this tired, frail body…to emerge anew like a butterfly fresh from a chrysalis. I wish I could leave behind my self-entitled mindset…like a hermit crab searching for a larger shell to call home. To open my mind, my heart, and my hands to those around me who need to see a kind soul in the midst of a cruel world. I’ve heard it said that everyone has an Achilles’ heel, which despite overall strength poses a deadly weakness. Hmmm..sugar comes to mind. Seriously, though…I can handle tightened belts, and candles burnt at both ends, and I’ve developed quite a taste for the cornucopia of craziness that I carry with me 24/7 (a.k.a. my kids). But, then there are those moments of fear: for my future (will we ever find a job/a home of our own?); for my children (4 is hard enough…don’t even mention 14! Can you say: curfew?); and for myself (Achilles’ heel? Why, I got the whole leg!). Fear has the ability to subdue our minds and our hearts into isolation. But, I don’t stand alone. I know that whatever fears chase me, I am secure in the arms of my Heavenly Father. So, whether I run, or limp, or fall…He is there with arms wide open.
Echoes of Mercy:
the Secret Life of an Introvert 
Fear, that which takes dreams away. You’ve got it right though, whatever fear you have, the Lord is right there, with His arms wide open. He’s got you. All those things we all worry about, you worry about…especially the kids, lol…wow, those can be fun conversations to have in your head, but really not even worth the energy. Those things will make ya gray for no reason. I used to think about what kind of parent I would be and how I would do things, how I would handle curfew and discipline and such, but until that moment slaps you in the face, you just have to roll with it. All that thinking ahead just gave you a headache in the end. Just thank God for the storms, thank Him for being with you through it, pray for the guidance toward the answer, and keep trekin’…it’s all good, right? 🙂
‘S all good! Over the years I have read (and re-read) and read again MATTHEW 6:25-34
and each time, having come with a different concern, I find something new to take away from these verses, but it always strikes me: your heavenly Father knows…those four words soothe my weary soul and my troubled heart in a very simple & profound way. He loves us like no one else can.
Many blessings,
Juniper
Love this. It’s true. Love what you said, ‘your heavenly Father knows…’ Isn’t that just amazing?
God’s love for us is truly amazing…pure & simple!