February 17, 2006

The weather report had my wife scrambling to cover the bougainvillea and wondering about the chickens. I said that the dog is a dog and not to worry. He sleeps inside most of the time anyway. I did think about the peach tree and hope predicted cold wouldn’t damage the developing blossoms.

My daughters, on the other hand had only ecstasy – no anxiety in sight. Would it snow? Yes, those were white flakes coming down on the hill! Same weather pattern, many different reactions.

I was reminded this week about the importance of confidence, both for it’s affect on me as well as on it’s affect on those around me. Confidence springs from expectation as well as past experience. Confidence lives with hope and faith. Much anxiety could be spared through a confident outlook.

In my case, I was ignoring what I knew about God and those around me, resulting in a nervous response to life. I’ve grown accustomed to worry’s face. As the song goes, “it makes the day begin.” But what a lousy day worry makes.

So, I choose confidence over an anxious perspective. Just like the weather produced very different emotions in our household, everything else can be approached from various vantage points. “Don’t worry, be happy” can be a flippant response to real-world situations. It can also be the deep seated response of faith.

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.” Philippians 1:3-7

Be at peace,
Pastor Steve