If we are stressed by anything external, the pain is not due the thing itself, but to your estimate of it. Marcus Aurelius

This quote made me think of my mother.  As she got older, she tended to worry less about things.  She would often say “I can’t do anything about it but pray” and she seemed to be content with that decision. I wondered when she was finally able to get to that point and if I ever would.

I’m sure for my mom, it all was a result of her faith which had always been strong. But the longer she lived and the more life experiences she had, I’m certain she came to the conclusion that she had little control over things around her and her only answer was prayer. She had her daily prayer time where she had her list of those to pray for and turned it over to the Lord and went on with her day in the best way she could with peace in her heart.

In Philippians 4:6-7 we are commanded Don’t worry about anything: instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for what he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace which exceeds anything we can understand, His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

I know I am getting closer to that point, but I’m still not there. I have had plenty of life experiences that should have pushed me closer to giving all my problems to our Lord, but I have a little further to go and with God’s unconditional love for me and every one of us, I will press on and pray for that peace and understanding that only the Lord can provide. Thanks be to God!

Patty