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Addy, our nine year old granddaughter, had the grand opportunity to go on a school trip to the Georgia coast.  She seemed excited about it, but I think the thought of being away from home without her family for two nights weighed on her mind a bit.  Nevertheless, the time came to pack her belongings for the adventure.  Gale told me that she needed to borrow our suitcase and she told me which one to get out for her.  We have more junk than good storage space, so it takes a little effort to get to some of the things that we do not use too much, but I finally retrieved the luggage set.  It is one of those where each of the three pieces nests inside each other which meant that once I got to it I had to pull each piece out since I was told she needed the smallest one.  With the task accomplished I took the small travel case for Addy to use.  When she arrived to get it, I was informed by her mother that she needed the big one instead of the little one.  So back to the drawing board as I return to the shed to retrieve what was needed.  The things we do for our grandkids!

The time came for Addy’s before-daylight-departure.  With perhaps a little anxiety and maybe a little reluctance deep down inside, she embarked on her mission along with the rest of the group.  While I dared not tell her before she left, Papa was a little anxious, too, about sending a nine year old off without us.  I had to brush away all those “What ifs” that can haunt the troubled mind and hoped that the trip would be a good experience for her. 

After reaching her destination, pictures arrived back home that displayed a happy, albeit, very tired little girl as she enjoyed a great time.  The image of her standing on the beach holding a live shrimp was priceless—and it reminded me of how good fresh Georgia shrimp is, but it was that little guy’s lucky day since she said they released everything they netted back into the salty water.

Addy and the rest of the travelers arrived back home as planned with everyone in good condition.  Her mother said her clothes smelled like fish, but that is a small price to pay for a kid to have so much fun and experience so much.  Everything turned out just fine.

It would have been shameful if a little anxiety had robbed her of such a great opportunity.  It makes me wonder how many good things we miss out on because of the fear of the unknown or worry about eventualities that will never come to pass.  We are, in fact, taught in Scripture to avoid such worrisome attitudes and thoughts.  Philippians 4:6 states quite plainly that being consumed by anxious thoughts is not God’s plan for His children:  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (New International Version).  Not only are we instructed not to worry, but we are also given the solution—trust God in sincere prayer with whatever is challenging our lives. 

In Hebrews 4, the writer gives us reason to have great comfort as we are reminded that Christ understands our needs and weaknesses since He lived on the same earth we live on and overcame with perfection the same kinds of temptations that we struggle with.  In acknowledging His concern for us and His ability to meet our needs, we are offered an invitation to call out to God that is powerful enough to lead us through those seasons of life when worry seems to be gaining the upper hand:  “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

God does not want us to be bound by worry; He wants us to rely on Him.  He will see that everything ultimately turns out just fine for His faithful children.