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Philippians 4:6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
I have a cool story.
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PINIMAGEA little over three weeks ago, while vacationing with my family, I was climbing on a jetski to take it for a ride on the lake at our cabin. Lake Kawbawgam is full of lilypads and seaweed, but I’ve played in it since childhood.
I reached up to grab my favorite reading glasses from the top of my head. Noticing they weren’t there, I reached for my shirt, where I often hang them. Not there either. What happened to my favorite glasses? I was just wearing them! Wouldn’t I noticed if they fell into the water? But that was the only possibility. I was wearing them on the dock.
I asked the others to look for them as I headed out on the lake. Surely it wouldn’t be a big deal to grab them from the shallow water. The sun was high, and once the water settled, they would easily see them.
After a turn or two around the lake, I realized I needed to go look for those glasses myself. I mean, they are my favorite pair. And, I couldn’t just buy another pair. I’d already tried months ago. They no longer make them.
Arriving back at shore, I relinquished the jetski to one of the kids, and I started searching. I looked and looked. Then I grabbed a rake from the shed. I combed and looked. Others joined me. But we came up with nothing. It takes a lot to get me to give up, but I did. At least for the time being.
Each day I would wait for the sun to be high above the water and go down to the dock and retrace my steps. If only the sun would catch one of the lenses and signal me to their whereabouts. I even tried different times of the day to catch a different angle. Nothing.
My mom always taught me, with things big and small, to take my burden to the Lord. So I have learned to do that with everything—even silly reading glasses.
“Lord, it would be nothing for You to lead me to my readers. Please help me find them.”
I looked and found nothing.
The next day, I returned home from a day trip with the family and saw my sweet mom down at the dock. She decided to take up the search. I walked into the cabin, and my dad said, “Your mom has been combing for those glasses for you for a while now. She’s determined to find them.”
Several days passed and several storms blew through. I imagined that even if we were to find those glasses, surely the sand, sticks, and shells would have scratched the lenses. Was it worth it to keep looking?
I decided to let them go.
But my mom didn’t. We returned home to Delaware, but my parents were planning to stay at the cabin for several more weeks. Without me knowing, together, they continued to search for those glasses.
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PINIMAGEFast forward to yesterday. I walked into the church office and was handed a box. It was from my mom. Inside, was a lot of bubble wrap and some french burnt peanuts. My parents know I like those.
I pulled out the bag of peanuts, and the rest of the box seemed empty. I thought, “Well, it’s kind of them to send me candy, but it wasn’t necessary to go through all that trouble.” I felt through the bubble wrap and realized there was one more thing in there.
Wouldn’t you know it!? It was my readers!
With them a note:
Dear Tammy, I am so thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who hears and answers our prayers!! Right after you left for home, Dad & I went down to the lake – Dad using a rake and me wading in the water with no luck.
The other day the neighbor, Nate, brought his 12 yr. old son and his friend down to the lake to take them fishing in his boat.
Dad was down at the dock talking to them, and Nate’s son looked down and said he saw “sunglasses” in the water – They were your glasses (on the right side of the dock) with no damage after all that time!
We were so thankful they were found.
Love you & miss you, Mom
A huge knot formed in my throat. I examined the glasses. Not a scratch on them. In fact, they looked better than when they fell in the lake!!! How is that possible?!? Three weeks. No rust. No scratches.
I couldn’t shake the urge to cry as I shared my story with others in the office. Why would God care about something so unimportant?
Then it struck me. He cared about the glasses because He cared about me.
I had looked for those glasses hard and long and finally let it go.
My mom and dad looked hard and long. Came up with nothing.
We gave up the search, and God intervened.
You might be saying, “Tammy, we’ve got way bigger things going on over here than silly glasses!”
That’s precisely my point. If our Sovereign God cares to return glasses to His daughter at her request, won’t He indeed work in the greater things of life? FRIEND, YES, YES HE WILL!
Pondering the whole ordeal, I came away with some profound truths.
- I searched desperately for my glasses for a while and finally gave up.
Sometimes when we are waiting on God to work, He’s waiting for us to give up.
- My parents, because they love me so much, were determined to return my glasses to me.
When in a trial, others cannot bear the burden that is meant for God to carry.
If you are trying to shoulder the burden of a loved one and find it’s crushing you. Maybe you were never meant to carry it.
- Often, when we’ve given up, and it seems all is lost, God moves in. My parents and I had given
upover the search for the glasses.
There’s a difference between giving up and giving over. We knew that God COULD do what we asked and we TRUSTED Him no matter the outcome. We left the whole matter with Him.
- The glasses were returned to me three weeks later.
God works on His own time frame and His plan often involves waiting. When waiting is part of the story we tend to give more glory to God when the answer is revealed. God doesn’t toy with us. His timing IS PERFECT.
Friend, take a good look at the trial you face. Are you determined to fix it yourself? Are you relying on others to fix it? Are you trying to fix a heartache for a loved one and you have been powerless to do so. Have you wholly released your circumstances to the Lord and let go? You can. Because He’s a God who sees and cares.
I can promise you, as I type this blog, peering through my long lost readers, He is faithful in the big and little things. And He will not fail you. Give your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
