Be thankful, worry less

I came across this illustration. A man who had visited the people who live above the Arctic Circle remarked, "Never ask an Eskimo how old he is," the man said.

"If you do, he will say, "I don't know and I don't care."

And he doesn't. One of them told me that, and I pressed him a bit further. When I asked him the second time, he said, "Almost -- that's all." That still wasn't good enough for me, so I asked him "Almost what?" and he said, "Almost one day." I came to discover the Eskimos believe that when they go to sleep at night they die -- that they are dead to the world. Then, when they wake up in the morning, they have been resurrected and are living a new life. Therefore, no Eskimo is more than one day old. "Life above the Arctic Circle is harsh and cruel, and mere survival becomes a major accomplishment," he explained. "But, you never see an Eskimo who seems worried or anxious. They have learned to face one day at a time."

What are your anxieties and worries? The Philippians also had their worries, the typical human worries and the pressures associated with being Christian. Paul’s advice to them and to us, bring everything to prayer.

Just as a child brings everything to their parents, their triumphs and the cuts and bruises because they know their parents are interested. We bring our triumphs and struggles to God because God is interested in our lives. We can bring to God prayers for ourselves, we can seek forgiveness for things of the past, guidance for decisions, we can pray for others.

Thanksgiving is to be a key part of our prayer. We are always between blessings. God has blessed us, and God will bless us again. We bring our prayers with confidence knowing God hears our prayer. There are three things to remember in our prayer --- 1. God love us and desires the best for each of us. 2. The wisdom of God, as God knows what is best for us. 3.

The power of God, for God can bring to pass that which is good for us. Bringing all to prayer, surrender our lives into God’s hands we come to a peace that is beyond all human understanding. For Paul this means that God’s peace is not something we can produce.

Surrendering all into God’s hand is the way to be free of worry.