Cast all your anxiety on [God], because he cares for you.  1 Peter 5:7

There’s a story behind the little machine nut I carried in my pocket. Long ago, I endured a particularly fierce trial over conflicts at work. I found refuge that Saturday, in my home, repairing a lamp. To avoid losing the tiny fastener until I could get to the hardware store and buy another, I slipped it onto my key ring for safekeeping.  The next morning at church, our pastor preached on trusting our God in times of trial. It was just the message I needed. He suggested using a mental cue, some material object, as a reminder to lean on God in difficult times. 

Some time later while at work I stood listening with hands in my pockets, in turmoil and frustrated, I felt the tiny nut on my key ring. I resolved to use it as a reminder to trust God, no matter what. It has remained there since, its edges worn smooth by years of my handling it, a constant reminder that God cares. When life got rough I would reach into my pocket and give that nut a spin with my thumb, motivated all over again to trust God. And God has never failed me.

Lord forgive us when we fail to trust you.  Remind us that your good plansbfor our lives will come to pass no matter what.  Amen

The psalmist said to God, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Psalm 119:103

The honeybee is known for ceaseless labor. Its hive is a hotbed of activity.   No wonder.   A single worker bee makes 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in their lifetime, and a good hive will produce 50 to 60 pounds of honey to survive the winter.  The work never ends!

Still, it’s a little known fact that even the hard-working honeybee will find a spot on the comb, cease all activity — and do absolutely nothing for a while! Nothing productive as far as the world is concerned.  But this time of refreshment and renewal is absolutely essential.  Bees seem to require a little time away from the busyness of life, and it doesn’t seem to hurt the hive at all.

Many of us discover that our levels of stress and anxiety rise because of the never-ending tasks that fill our days. We worry about whether we can keep up.  During these moments I find it best to follow the example of the honeybee and just stop.  After all, Jesus did the same thing. When he was very busy, he went up the mountain to pray — to create a time and space for God to refresh his spirit.  If Jesus needed such time, surely we do too.

Lord, we open our hearts to you.   We stop to listen and learn from you.   Amen.