Thursday, October 3, 2013

An Unexpected Message

I have this thing for fortune cookies - if you don't know what I'm talking about you can read it here. With that knowledge it should come as no surprise that my youngest son recently got my attention when he posted this photo on Facebook.


Today when I picked up the mail there was an envelope addressed to me from Johnson University. I recognized the handwriting immediately. Inside was this little note from my son


I can't begin to tell you how much this little note meant to me. First he cared enough to send me a fortune to add to my crazy collection. And second what mom doesn't like to hear those words, "I love you"?  But that wasn't all. Notice he included a Bible verse at the bottom.

I pulled out my Bible to see what message he was sending me. Luke 12: 22-34 notice the title?  Do Not Worry

My heart was suddenly overflowing with emotions. This child of mine, who is actually no longer a child but a grown man, was comforting me. He knows me well. He knows that I am afflicted with a disease called WORRY. Worry dogs me at every turn. It creeps into my thoughts and dreams, it rides in the passenger side of the car, and follows me around the grocery store. It's not something I welcome and I try to keep it at bay. But some days, despite my best efforts, it forces itself front and center in my life and takes over like kudzu growing in the south, consuming everything around it and slowly choking the life out of anything in it's path.

My son knows the struggle I have with worrying and how I constantly battle to control it. In the infinite wisdom that has been bestowed upon him, this man-child of mine reached out and gently reminded me that I am not alone in my battle. The scripture he chose encouraged me to have faith and to be confident in the assurance that everything will be all right.

So there it is. A scripture from the Bible, the loving thoughtfulness of a son, and a message sent in a fortune cookie. All to remind me that my God, unlike the fortune cookie, never sleeps and is always vigilantly watching out for me.