It's Going to be OK?

I’m totally impatient, and I’m a bit of a worry wart. If something doesn’t go according to my plans, I have a tendency to freak out a little bit. I have to have things planned well in advance too. For example, on Wednesday, Arlen and I were getting ready to go up to his house to eat and spend the evening with his family. It’s kind of an informal weekly family night we enjoy together. Just before we were ready to leave, Arlen was able to get a hold of a client he’d been trying to reach for a while. Immediately I began freaking out. “We’re going to be late,” I thought. “They’re going to have to start eating without us. I’ll feel weird coming in late.” You get the idea. All this and it wasn’t a big deal at all that we were a little late.

I was reading in 1 Samuel 1-3 today. Chapter 3 is where God calls Samuel and tells him all of the things that are going to happen. One of the things that God says is that He is going to destroy Eli’s wicked sons. Of course, Samuel doesn’t want to tell this to Eli. What kind of reaction will he give? Well, of course Eli is curious about what the Lord had to say; and Samuel, being the good kid he was, told Eli. Now, here’s the part that really caught my attention. Eli’s response to the news of his sons’ pending death was one of total faith and trust. All he said was “It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him” (1 Samuel 3:18). Obviously, I’m not that good at letting go of my circumstances and trusting God to be in control. Now I pray that the next time I get anxious about a situation that is beyond my control, I can stop, take a deep breath, remember Eli, and trust God!