Amazing God of love and rich blessings, pour out Your greatness and glory on this dear reader's life; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
As we prepare to give Thanks to God, which we should do everyday, by the way, we will look to Philippians 4:4 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! 5 Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute! 6 Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. 7 Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. (The Message)
Some wise person one day sat down and invented worry dolls. I don't know who it was and I'm not going to worry about it! But something in his or her life or in the life of his or her spouse or family or work place or school, made this person reach the point of saying, "I'm going to make a little doll and transfer my worries to it!" And so off this person went and began making this solution to a common problem. I remember the first time I saw these dolls, our family was strolling the marketplace near one of our used-to-be favorite restaurants, and one of my daughters said, "Daddy, I want these little dolls!" I saw them and asked the clerk what they were and she replied, "These are worry dolls. You hold them and transfer your worries to them!" Hmm.
Paul says a better starting point for our day is in Celebrating God. And then in a positive, passionate way, share with others who you are (a blessed person) and Whose you are (a child of God). Make it clear that as humans we are all "in this together," and that by working together we can better our lives. Paul reminds us that the Lord is coming soon and that instead of worrying, we should pray. And I love the way this version says, "Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers." Goodbye worry dolls, hello God! And guess what? Then your sense of being becomes a sense of God's wholeness and you can face all things with that peace that is ours when we let "Christ displace worry at the center of (our) life."
PRAYER: Come, loving God, and help me shape my worries into prayers. Let my praises and petitions to You be that which helps shape my outlook on life towards a positive, contagious one. I invite Christ again to be the center of my life. I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
PS Please be in prayer for those traveling today and tomorrow to be with loved ones. If you are traveling, please be safe. Enjoy the journey, glorify God at your destination!
