Often in life, tiny worries quickly get blown up until they are more than just possibilities, but reality. Being a worry-wart, I have done this many times.
One night, my family and I noticed police cars scouring the road across from us as if they were searching for something or someone. Since we live only a couple miles from a prison, it was a plausible theory.
As I was preparing for bed, I passed my window and noticed the lights were on in our detached garage. This was unusual. I slowly crept closer, my heart beating faster. As I stared, I was sure I could see a man in a trench coat leaning against the side of our garage.
You’re going to look really stupid if you’re wrong, so make sure, I warned myself. But he was there! I knew he was! Then he turned his head to look at me. I ducked, and ran to my parent’s room.
“Mom,” I whispered frantically, trying not to wake my dad. “I think there’s a guy standing by the garage. Will you come look and make sure I’m not seeing things?”
We huddled together at her small bathroom window and peered out. Pretty soon I had her convinced too.
“Should I wake up dad? Or call the police?”
We decided on waking my dad from a sound sleep.
“Dad, there’s a guy standing by the garage in a trench coat!”
Three of us now peered out the window.
“Where did you say you saw this guy again?” My dad asked. “I know there’s a weed on that side of the garage.”
“It’s not a weed! He turned his head and looked at me!”
Without another word, Dad grabbed his flashlight and started outside.
“Be careful!” I admonished.
Mom and I didn’t leave our post at the window for a moment. We heard Dad go out, but didn’t see him. And the figure against the garage didn’t move.
In a few minutes, we heard Dad climbing back up the stairs. I rushed from the bathroom and met him as he placed his flashlight on his dresser.
“Well?”
“Just the weed.”
I could have melted into the floor I was so embarrassed. I was going to call the police — for a weed?
A twinkle came into my dad’s eye. “But it was a very scary weed.”
For a moment, I stared at him in shock. He wasn’t mad I woke him up? He wasn’t thinking about what an idiot I was? But his smile held no condemnation. I slowly returned it.
We do something similar in life. Just as I ran to my father when things looked scary, so we also have the opportunity to run to our Heavenly Father. But I wonder: how often do we run to him in terror of a few weeds in our life? How many times are we pleading with him to send an arsenal of angels for an immobile plant? Jesus says it this way,
“Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” Matthew 6:27 (NLT)
And later,
“And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?” Matthew 6:30 (NLT)
The more we dwell on fear, the more it becomes reality. The trick is learning to recognize when we’re starting to take things out of proportion and stop before making it bigger than needed.
I imagine God, too, sometimes says, “See? I told you. It was just a fear.”
And with a twinkle in his eye, “But it was a very scary fear.”
When you bring your concerns to God’s throne, you can bring them without any fear of condemnation.
Perhaps, when they are brought to Christ’s light, you may just find them to be what they really were all along: weeds on a dark night.
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