FANTASTIC Thought

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (MSG)

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

“Worrying means you suffer twice” – Newt – “Fantastic Beasts”

Now I will make a little confession.  I have not watched any of the Harry Potter films.  They first came out at a time in my life that had I seen them, I would have failed to remember them.  My family quite stoically refers to that period as “The Dark Times”.

Sounds a little Harry Potterish doesn’t it?

But…

Last night after an amazing day of vision casting with one of my new friends from CHRIST COMMUNITY CHAPEL (https://ccchapel.com/) and the swearing in of another powerful leader in Knox County Ohio, Judge Richard Wetzel, we made our way back to Hilliard and connected with my “girls”.  That would be my daughters and my energetic tween neices, Lilly and Stella.

So, after a trip to one of their “faves” Johnny Rockets, they pulled their “unPotterized” Uncle over to the movies and this film called “FANTASTIC BEASTS and Where to Find Them”. (http://www.fantasticbeasts.com/)

And I will be the first to quickly admit, I really liked the film. 

I did.  As have a few others evidenced by its 70+ rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  And while I really enjoyed all the wizardry and the escapism the film provided, I was struck about mid-way through by the little quote that opened today’s OFH.

“Worrying means you suffer twice…”

That is good.

A little “Biblical” even…

We shouldn’t worry…

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. – Philippians 4:6-7 (MSG)

Made me think. 

Today is the last OFH entry for 2016.

And those closest to me know that I tend to “worry” a little more than I should.  

I “fret” frequently.

What does 2017 hold for my current relationships in the opiate addiction fight?  They are tenuous at times.

Has GOD called me to share a message in support of the trafficked?

What about these new initiatives?  Am I to cast vision or roll up my sleeves?

What about the convergence of church and government? Is it a healthy path to help or a hindrance?

So many questions.

Few answers.

Lots of reasons to “suffer with worry”.

And yet Newt and Paul are saying worry is unhealthy and wasted motion.  Why suffer “twice” or as my grandma used to say frequently, “borrow trouble”?

Therefore, I must be intentional to “pray and petition” or worry will share it's suffering.

2017 looms in the distance for all of us.

New administration.

New uncertainties.

New challenges.

New expectations.

Let’s not weigh them down in worry; let’s not add to “our sufferings”.

Instead let’s commit to praying about those uncertainties and unanswered questions and TRUST that GOD in His amazing power and infinite wisdom WILL settle us down, soothe any of the suffering and remind us that ALL will be good as we allow HIM to replace the WORRY.

Remember…

“Worry is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.”– Arthur Somers Roche

Happy New Year!

I love you all

OPPORTUNITIES for HOPE