"Does This Belong to You?"

When I was young, I had many excuses for not cleaning my room (perhaps you did, too). In those days,  we didn't have walk-in closets, but if we did, mine wouldn't have had one inch of space in which to walk. My room was almost as bad.    

One evening, we had company. As my mother proceeded to give the guests a tour of the house, she gasped when she opened the bathroom door. She quickly closed it and led the guests elsewhere.  

When our company left, she approached me, holding up my nightie. "Does this belong to you?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.   

'Oops," I remarked sheepishly. "Sorry, Mom." Then she saw the wet towels I'd left in the tub. She wasn't happy.    

Fortunately, eventually I outgrew my slovenly habits. But, as an adult, sometimes I wish there were things that didn't belong to me. I'm talking about things like worry, indecisiveness, apprehension, sadness, uncertainty, anxiety, despair, and the list could go on.

Recently, I had a lousy night of sleep. When I don't get enough rest I get emotional. So, I said my morning prayers, but worry flooded my soul. Then a quiet question was posed to my heart. "Does this belong to you?" 

The question caught me off-guard. "Oops," my heart responded. "Yes." The worry was mine. This was a wake-up call, a reminder to avoid holding on to things that shouldn't  belong to me. 

The Bible is filled with Scripture telling us not to worry or be anxious (including all those sub-sets of undesirable feelings that attach to those emotions).   

Instead, might we hold on to faith that God can supply good things for our lives? 

Regarding faith, if the Lord were to ask, "Does this belong to you?" I would respond with a resounding "Yes!"     

 My prayer  for you: "Dear God, may the person reading this know how much You love them, and may they have faith to look to you for all the good things you provide for their  heart and soul." - In Jesus' Name, Amen.        
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"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and  help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." -  Isaiah 41:10
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7 
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." -  Joshua 1:9
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding ; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your path straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6 

PHOTO  COURTESY OF VECTEEEZY 

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