From The Crucible (by Pastor Linda Pugsley)

I remember growing up in a large family. Nine of us kids and my mom and dad. Eleven for dinner every night would seem impossible today, but somehow it wasn’t back then. We would all pitch in, each helping to do a small part of a big job. In that process, we learned a lot. A lot about cooking, a lot about helping, cooperation, leadership and teaching. My mom would show us older kids some of the finer points and special touches needed in meal preparation and in turn, we would pass that on to the younger ones as we worked to prepare the evening meal. Those nuggets of wisdom passed on down made a big difference in the smoothness of the whole operation.

And so it is with the Lord. He gives us His nuggets of wisdom, not as “pounding us down” rules, but rather as jewels and treasures to make the journey less harsh. A couple of those “nuggets” come to mind.

God tells us to practice trust and thankfulness so as to help us get through our 24/7 existence. Trusting Him will protect you from the “worry bug” and cut back on obsessing about the cares of the world. And thankfulness, that “attitude of gratitude”, will help keep you from criticizing and complaining about the details of your day.

Practice, practice, practice—that’s how it’s done. Looking to the Lord through every thought, word and deed is a choice you can make all throughout your day. Push those worries and complaints to the edges of your head and let the Lord be right smack in the middle. Focus on Him and the trust and thankfulness will be yours in abundance. Build your day on 1 Peter 5:7, “…cast all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.” Endure the fire…it’s producing pure gold!

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