Give all your worries and cares to God
by Karen Thom
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
1 Peter 5:7 – (NLT)
We had a Christmas tradition every year since I was a little kid to go and cut down our own Christmas tree from a farm. We continued this tradition after Josh and I got married and have only missed one year ever. I have wonderful memories over the years of going to the tree farm in all kinds of weather – some years we were bundled up and freezing with snow on the ground, and some years it was warm enough to not wear a coat and have the kids splashing in puddles (Virginia winters are weird!). We have shared this tradition with many of our close family friends over the year and it has been so special. We fill up our cups with hot apple cider, ride the wagon out to the fields, and then spread out and hunt down the best one. This is part of what started the Christmas season in my mind.
But this year, Josh and I left the kids at home and instead hunted at four different stores before we finally picked out an artificial Christmas tree that we liked well enough. And we did not go to the farm or take a wagon ride. We did not have apple cider or that special time with friends. In the grand scheme of things this seemed like it shouldn’t be that big of deal, but I really grieved this loss of the tradition much more than I expected.
In my head I knew we did the right thing for our family this year. I knew the artificial tree was going to be better for my health and that had to be our top priority. I knew it was going to be cheaper and easier too. I even knew that we would make new traditions, but I was still really sad.
This year has been a tough one for our family and we have faced a lot of challenges. I feel like God has truly gotten us through so much and given me a peace that I know I would not have otherwise. But when it comes to the little things, I sometimes forget that God wants to hear those too. This verse in 1 Peter is a reminder that God wants us to give him ALL our worries, not just the big ones or the ones we think are worthy of his attention. He wants ALL of them. He loves us so much that every aspect of our lives is important to him, even sadness over a fake tree.
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Find our ’22 Advent devotional archive online. haymarketchurch.org/advent
