Lean in and read some words of encouragement! And don’t miss my question at the end – I’d love to hear from you.
Laugh lines and wrinkles? No problem—they’re proof I’ve truly lived. But this chin hair invasion creeping up my cheeks? Never thought I’d need to be plucking the sides of my face!
Last week I pulled into the dentist’s parking lot and checked the visor mirror for a quick presentability scan. But then I thought, Why bother? She’s going to be looking straight into my mouth—a sight that’s far from presentable!
And then. My quick check highlighted the unfortunate, all-too-common Ugh.
Chin hairs. Good grief. Didn’t I just tweeze them yesterday? Why did I even bother?
You’ve had those Why bother? moments too, right? Many times, it’s about things that are just plain annoying.
Chin hairs. (You wonder if braiding them would just be easier.)
Dusting. (You tried it, the dust came back. Why bother?)
Passing on the ice cream. (But the pants are still snug.)
And, there are bigger life moments that just don’t seem to get better, no matter how much bothering you do. There are situations or people that you have tried to fix, control … all the things … and you know it’s not working.
Perhaps you are completely undone by a loved one who is wandering.
Health stuff that never seems to end.
There’s conflict at home or at work.
Your shoulders are so tense they cover your ears like winter earmuffs.
You may be just plain worn out.
You whisper, why bother?
Here’s the deal.
When life is too much, stop trying to handle it. Turn it over to The One who cares more than you can imagine.
You may not be able to change the situation, BUT you can let God into your hurt, and He can change you. He can give you strength. A new perspective. Rest.
Why? So you can stop bothering with it.
Can we tweeze? Yes.
Dust? Yes.
Pass on the ice cream? Yes.
We bother with the things we can actually fix or make better.
We stop bothering, fretting, wringing our hands over the things that we cannot fix or make better.
So that big life-thing that’s heavy on your heart? It may not be yours to bother with. Stop letting it overwhelm your day and steal your joy. Hand it to The One who hangs the stars and knows your name.
Lord, I’m tired. I’m bothered by things I can’t change. I just want the swirling to stop for a minute so I can catch my breath. I want what’s wrong to be fixed. I’m not even sure what to pray about. But I just need you to know that I’m worn out. Help me.”
Sit in a comfy chair and open your hands that are clenching those hurts so tightly and release them into His caring hands and compassionate heart.
Here’s a slightly paraphrased prayer from Psalm 116, verses 1, 2, and 6 for you to use as you wait to hear from Him:
I love the Lord, because he hears my voice; he hears my cry for mercy. Because he turns his ear to me, because he bends down to listen to me, I will call on him as long as I live. God is so gracious—it is he who makes things right, it is he who bothers with my stuff. He is my most compassionate God. When I am at the end of my rope, he saves me.”
God never tires of bothering with your stuff.
Why? He loves you. Your life—your stuff—matters to Him.
P.S. What’s the greatest need of your heart right now? Please let me know. I care and I will be praying for you.
