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NOTES  FROM  THE  VALLEY - August 26, 2001

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil for you are with me."  Psalm 23.
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TOPIC:  WORRY  -  THE  CAUSE,  THE  COST  &  THE  CURE

Life is so full of  uncertainties.  The events of the last three weeks
(being laid off and then beginning my job search) certainly have reaffirmed
that truth for me. Wouldn't it be great if there were at least a few things
we could count on?  Some constants to give us a reliable foundation for the
beginning of each new day?  Well, Jesus assures us there are.
Unfortunately, not all of them are good:

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about
itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own."    Matthew 6:34

Haven't you found that to be true?  In my fifty odd years of living, I've
yet to come across a day that didn't have MORE than enough trouble in it to
keep us all occupied.  Even on the best of days, little nagging things will
go wrong.

And our response to those troubles is equally consistent.  We worry.  And we
are so terribly good at it.  I'm reminded of English class and how we used
to conjugate all the various forms of a verb.  Well worry is a verb and
we've leaned to worry in a way that has all the verb forms covered: Past,
present and future tenses; singular and plural; first, second and third
person; we do them all.  And no matter what form our worrying takes, it is
so insidiously destructive.  Literally billions of dollars are spent every
year treating the physical and emotional damage we do to ourselves through
our worrying.  The list of ailments being attributed to worry, including
some forms of cancer and heart disease, grows daily.  Despite this growing
evidence against worrying and the clear instructions of our Savior to avoid
it, we continue to make it one of our constant companions of every day.

In His instructions against worry (Matthew 6:25-34), Jesus tells us to look
at the evidence of the Father's faithfulness in the world around us.  Birds
that don't plant or harvest, but are fed.  Grass that does not labor or spin
but is clothed in splendid beauty.  Then Jesus asks us this simple but
awesome question, "Are you not much more valuable than they?"   If we
profess to be Christians, then our answer to that question has to be "yes."
As Christians, we believe that God set a value on us so high that He sent
His only Son into the world to teach us about Himself and then sacrificed
that Son on a cross at Calvary to save us from our sins.  And if we believe
that God values us so highly, how can we doubt that He will provide for ALL
our needs?  But worry is exactly that - doubt.

When I read the Bible, I am constantly amazed by God's patience with us and
the way Jesus reflected that patience.  At the moment Jesus is speaking in
Matthew, Chapter 6, He has already given up everything that was His in
heaven and descended to earth where He has been experiencing all the
suffering that afflicts us in this physical world.   He knows that a cross
awaits Him in the not too distant future, where He will pay the ultimate and
excruciatingly painful price for our sins.  Despite all that He has said and
done, He continues to be confronted by our unbelief; our inability or
unwillingness to see the evidence of the Father that surrounds us daily.
It would have been so easy, so understandable, for Him to get mad at us for
our failings.  But instead, He chooses to remind us of our value.  And
encourage us with these words, " . . . do not worry, saying, 'What shall we
eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run
after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will
be given to you as well."

Yes, troubles confront us every day, just as Jesus said they would be.  But
worrying about those troubles wasn't the foundation upon which God intended
for us to build our days.  FAITH in Him was.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this
world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
John 16:33

"For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does .
. . the earth is full of his unfailing love."  Psalm 33:4-5

I am, as always, a work in progress,
sheltered under His wings and overwhelmed by His love,

Steve Hall



THOUGHT  FOR  THE  DAY
(Alan Smith, Boone Church of Christ, AlanSmith@...)

I heard about a patient in a mental hospital who was holding his ear close
to the wall, listening intently. The attendant finally approached. "Shh!"
whispered the patient, beckoning him over. The
attendant pressed his ear to the wall for a long time. "I can't hear a
thing," he said. "I know," replied the patient, "it's been like that all
day!"

Have you ever worried so much about things going wrong that you begin to
worry when everything goes right? Worry probably does more than anything
else to keep us from having peace of mind.  Psychologists (with nothing
better to do) have come up with some statistics about our worries. They say
that 40% of the things we worry about never happen, 30% of the things we
worry about have
already happened (and thus can't be changed), 12% of our worries focus on
health concerns, and 10% of our worries are over insignificant things.  That
means that over 80% of our worries are about things which are unimportant,
or that we have absolutely no control over.  So, what have you been worrying
about lately?

"Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need,
always giving thanks. And God's peace, which is so great we cannot
understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ
Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7, NCV)

Have a great day!



GOD'S  ARMS
(Kimberly Cook - MornGlories at Yahoo.com)

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.
Deuteronomy 33:27

I recall seeing a poster many years ago as a teenager. The picture on the
poster was of a small kitten, dangling in mid-air, hanging on to the end of
a rope with his front claws, mouth wide open in a desperate meow, with the
caption, "Hang in there, baby!"  How many times do we feel like that kitten,
frantically hanging on to the end of our rope, crying for help as we slowly
lose our grip? Our life is falling apart, problems keep coming at us, one
after another, and no sooner do we begin to see the light at the end of the
tunnel when we lose ground once again. We hang on to the rope of our own
abilities, struggling for all we're worth, trying our best to keep
everything together, yet knowing we're failing. Our frantic cries and
prayers for help seem to echo in an endless void, and we wonder where God is
and if He even hears us.

Let us never forget that God is our loving Father, and when we reach the end
of our rope and let go, His everlasting arms are waiting to catch us and
keep us safe. When we finally do let go of our own striving and worry, and
fall into His waiting arms, He can at last take our burdens away from us,
and provide for our needs in a miraculous way....all we need to do is let
go. For a Christian, the poster I described above would be better
illustrated with the caption, "Let go, beloved!", and beneath the kitten
you'd see the hands of the One who loves it, waiting to catch it and keep it
safe.

Today, in the midst of your worries and fears, let go and fall into the
loving arms of your Father. When you reach the end of all you can do, let go
and know that He will catch you. Trust in Him and His love for you, and know
that His provision will come in His perfect timing. God is good, and has
only good plans for His children.

Lord, today as we face worries of many kinds - financial, relational, cars,
work, family, and more - help us to let go of our striving and struggles,
and to fall into Your everlasting arms. You alone are our refuge, You alone
are all that we need. Help us to believe, forgive us for our unbelief and
draw us ever closer to You.  In Jesus' name, Amen



WHEN  YOU  WORRY
(Received from PoohsPal83 - Author Unknown)

You've been on my mind and heart.  I've been praying for you.  I see you
struggling and planning, worrying and sweating, crying and running at a
furious pace.  You're trying to move that mountain by yourself again, huh?
God asks that we cast all our cares on Him because He cares.  Think about
what your worrying says to God when you refuse to give things over to Him.

When you worry about money, you're telling Him that He is unable to provide
for His children.  That although He has riches beyond belief in Heaven, He
is too stingy to share them with you.

When you worry that no one understands you, you're telling Him that although
He has been with you since before you were formed in the womb and has carved
you into the palm of His hand, He doesn't know you.

When you worry that you will not have enough food, you're telling Him
although He rained down bread from Heaven in the desert to feed His
children, you are the one He's forgotten.

When you worry that your enemies will have victory over you, you're telling
God that although He has given you spiritual battle gear to defend yourself,
that despite His track record of being a giant slayer, Red Sea divider,
lions' mouth closer and a furnace cooler, He can't handle your coworker,
your neighbor or a former friend.

When you worry and refuse to give the problem over to Him, you're telling
Him that although He could create the world, He can't handle what's going on
in Your world, so you will.  You are saying that He won't work things out,
that obstacles cannot be overcome, that mountains can't be climbed, that
healing cannot occur, that what is lost will not be found, that joy does not
come in the morning, that He is not the God of a second chance, that the
Promised Land has been swallowed up by the desert, that you have discovered
the height, depth and width of His love and found it to fall short of your
needs.

Think about what your worrying is saying to the One who loves you the most.

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Copyright © 1998 - 2001 by Stephen J. Hall  -   Weekly letters of
encouragement to Christians written by Stephen J. Hall unless otherwise
indicated.  Notes from the Valley and Humor from the Valley are meant to
brighten your day and encourage you along the way.  Most of "Notes" and
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Credit is given to both the contributor and to the true author, where known.
If you are blessed by them, please feel free to make copies and pass them
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Your love, God, is my song, and I'll sing it!  I'm forever telling everyone
how faithful you are.  I'll never quit telling the story of your love - how
you built the cosmos and guaranteed everything in it.  Your love has always
been our lives foundation, your fidelity has been the roof over our world.
(Psalm 89:1-3 The Message)