We had planned this trip for almost two years. About two weeks before we were to leave, Leslie had her regular follow up visit to Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.
She had gone six years with no recurrence of cancer. It was routine – except for this time. Something didn’t look quite right. The medical team wanted to see her again.
We tried for an appointment the next day but that day was already booked solid. They said it could wait until after our trip but to make an appointment to return when we got back.
Leslie booked her appointment for the end of June, about two weeks after we returned. I did not give it much thought, but Leslie later shared with me that it, understandably, was on her mind.
She pictured everything from needing another surgery to multiple visits to Mayo for chemotherapy. It was not conducive to enjoying a vacation.
God commanded Joshua, “do not be frightened and do not be dismayed” His basis for that command was simple, “for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
The reality of God’s presence is the foundation for not being frightened or dismayed. It is interesting that God did not tell Joshua that God’s power would be with him or that His prestige would be with Him. It was simply His presence and that presence was permanent – “wherever you go.”
Centuries later, David would write that no matter where he went, God was present there. (Psalm 139) The truth is that you can’t go anywhere God is not present. The problem is that our emotions are not always synchronized with the truth.
Our emotions are connected with a belief that is often so deep, that conscious thinking does not override it. We can see one thing but feel another.
Jesus told his followers not to worry. He referred to two everyday illustrations, the birds of the air and the flowers in the field. He also told His disciples that the problems of today are plenty. That is common sense teaching.
We just returned from Mayo. The doctor ran one test and said that there were zero signs of cancer. We are thankful for that. Now we look back and think that for the past six weeks, we were thinking (even worrying at times) about something that was not true.
We were playing the “what-if” game in our minds. The truth was that there was nothing to worry about in the first place. Our minds painted a picture. Worry and anxiety made that picture appear to be real when, in fact, it was but a figment of our imagination.
Worry and anxiety are figments of our imagination. That is why Jesus taught that we are not to paint those elaborate portraits in our minds, but to rest in the arms of God who controls all events. That is why the Apostle Paul said that we are to renew our minds. (Romans 12:2)
If you are a worrier, then that is a sign that there is a picture, no more of a sculpture, deep in your thinking that presents itself as truth. Be renewed in your mind and destroy that image. Allow God to renew your mind with the truth. Then you will understand that the concerns of today are more than enough to deal with.
