It seems like everywhere I turn these days, the buzz word is “uncertainty.”We are uncertain of the economy, the housing market, the upcoming presidential election, the definitions of marriage and the list goes on and on and on.Admittedly, at times I am tempted to worry over everything the media is telling me could go wrong in my life.Beyond that, there are the traditional family stresses and woes that occasionally encroach upon the boundaries of what I like to consider as my usually stable mind.

I was nearing “Worry Stage One” the other night as I watched my latest television craze, Jon & Kate Plus 8.For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, this show is a reality series documenting the daily lives of a young couple raising twin 7-year-old girls and 4-year-old sextuplets.Talk about stress!
 
In last week’s episode, Collin, one of the little boys, recapped the adventures of his golf outing with his Dad and brothers.As he described how his father taught him to use the club, he said, “We hold the club and Daddy holds us.”For me, those words preached like a sermon.

In life, sometimes all you can do is what you know to do!The rest must be left at the throne of God’s grace.You can save diligently for your retirement and become the victim of an Enron.You can and should eat healthy foods and exercise, but in the end still fight the dreaded enemy called “cancer.” You can give all you have to your marriage and still experience the frustration of a husband turning to internet-porn.You must do all you can do, but after that you must have faith!Faith in God’s ability, willingness and determination to do what is absolutely best for you even when life’s circumstances contradict this assertion.

My paternal grandmother turned 85 years old on July 5^th.Sadly, her mind has been ravaged by Alzheimer’s and the only thing she waits for now is death as she calls out longingly for her loved ones who have long since passed away.However, when she was healthy, her mind was the prisoner of worry!

She worried about planes crashing, so she wouldn’t fly.She worried about dying in her sleep, so she feared sleeping alone.She worried about failure, so she very rarely took any risks.This weekend as I thought of her, I could not help but feel sadness and regret for the life she did not dare to live.In one of our last conversations, while she was still lucid, she expressed so much longing and regret for the things she never took the courage to do.
 

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