I had a lot on my mind, the other day. My Mom broke her hip, the weather was terrible, and I didn’t know how we could even go see her. She broke her other hip last year, and hadn’t even recovered from that yet! Here we’ve been praying for her to fully recover when “Wham,” another bad suprise happens.
We live in a rural area where it’s bitter could outside, and it’s been snowing like crazy. My husband had back pain, my road was unplowed and I could not get out to help Mom’s husband, and the list of “Things to be afraid about,” just kept piling up.
Like a good Christian Girl, I put it all in God’s hands. I prayed and made my petitions known, got centered in peace, and went about my business.
Later that day, I decided to make a pot of soup for my husband, a type of soup he’d requested, not too long ago. My reason for this was to do the only thing I could do to make someone’s life a little better that day.
I”m a woman of Faith, so I did not believe for a minute, I was fretting. Had you told me I was, I would have said, “No, actually, I’m not.”
Deep down however, I must have been fretting, and I know this, because I lashed out at my husband when he didn’t compliment me on the soup. Was it because I was greedy for compliments? No! The sad thing is, he lashed back at me, and why?
Because he was fretting as well. We did not need hours of counselling to find out why we squabbled, all we needed was a bit of understanding as to what was happening. And the big problem was……………….
We were both Fretting!
God made me aware that fretting was the awful culprit behind me lashing out at him, (for not saying the soup was good), and that he was fretting about whether he could finish his tasks with the pain he was having, and more snow on the horizon.
The truth is, just a bit of fretting can lead to hostility, and barking at the ones we love, for almost no apparent reason, at all. How do we stop it? By being honest with ourselves, that’s how! “I”m concerned and a little worried because”_____(fill in the blank), is a humble approach that will lead to Grace from God, in our hour of need.
I wonder how many people we meet in life who are cranky, crabby, lash out at us, act rude toward us, or even just drive badly at times, are fretting over something, and possibly even lashing out as a result?
Words like, “I’m sorry, I had a lot on my mind, I didn’t mean to lash out at you,” are good and healing words to say, (once we realize what has happened.)
Fretting leads to worry, and can even lead us into fear, and then anger, (and eventual harm to relationships.) It’s so simple, yet true!
Sometimes a good solution is to admit it, have a good laugh about it, and then quit!
With Love and hopes for your good (fret-free) day.
-Laura Grace
“Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm.”
Psalm 37:8
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