“Don’t Worry”

 

By G. E. Shuman                           

 

(Dear Readers, much of my writing is, intentionally, on the light side. This one, just as intentionally, is a bit heaver. Still, I hope you enjoy it.)

          If you are familiar with very much of my work, the books or magazine and newspaper columns, you know that I am a believer in God. If that is not evident, then I have truly failed. I am also a far from ideal example of a believer. While, hopefully not to the extent of the worst of us, I have done my share of wrong things in this life. I am an imperfect, but, and here’s the vital part, forgiven, sinner.

          I am not one who has ever claimed to have been in the ‘audible’ presence of God. I have never heard Him speak to me, with one notable and recent possible exception. That exception is the point of this column.

          You see, only last Saturday morning something happened to me that I cannot explain. I cannot even know for certain that it actually did take place. I would call the occurrence part of a dream, if I hadn’t been awake at the time.

What happened, and you truly can believe this or not, is that something was ‘said’ to me soon after I had awoken for the day last Saturday morning. My wife was still sound asleep. My eyes were open and looking toward the ceiling of our room. My head was clear, and I knew that my usual pattern of briefly rehearsing in my mind what the day was and what I had to do in it, was about to begin. Then, and without notice or pre-thought, I distinctly heard two words, either with my ears or only my mind. Those two words were simply “Don’t Worry.”

          I will tell you that as a person of ‘slightly’ advancing years, that was the first time in all those years this had ever taken place for me.

I will also tell you that my experience was ‘real,’ at least it was to me. Those words were just as clearly and deliberately spoken as any others I have ever heard, and I have attempted, in the days since hearing them, to obey them. This has been with varying levels of success. I can tell you that when I have ‘let go and let God’ as I once heard that we are supposed to do, the burden of those surrendered situations has been lifted to a great extent.  It is surprising how much the God who created everything is better than I am at solving problems. Hum.

Every family, including my own, has experienced difficult situations and problems, and will likely continue to. Some of those are simply out of our control. Ever been there?

As to how to handle them, any admonition from me to you would definitely have to echo the words: “Don’t worry.”