Those of you who know me will know that I love to put things in containers. I think it is getting worse. Not only are the pencils etc. in my handbag in a pencil-case rather than rattling around loose (- do people really live with such chaos?!) – but within the pencil case my rubber is contained in its own ‘personal’ little plastic bag to keep it from getting filthy.

Don’t worry – I do realise this is a little extreme – and possibly just a tad worrying!

I think I have mentioned Julie Morgenstern (S ort, P urge, A llocate, C ontainerise, E qualise) before – well I blame her for encouraging me!

Recently, however, I have been made aware that there is one area of my life that I am terrible at containerising. My worry.

Jesus is quite clear about this: Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6: 34

So I put my eraser in an airtight zip lock baggy, but allow tomorrow’s worries total freedom to trample all over today. Go figure!

Sadly I don’t have an easy solution to this blatant discrepancy in my life, but it has helped me to expose its foolishness (not to mention its disobedience).

I was recently exhorted by a preacher at a church we were visiting to keep our worries in DAY-TIGHT compartments.

Dear Father God, you know my struggles with worry, fear and anxiety. You know the impact they have on my life and the lives of those around me. Thank you for this fresh way of exploring your commands in this area, and more fundamentally your nature of daily provision and mercy. Lord forgive me for keeping my arms so full of tomorrow’s ‘what-ifs’ and ‘will-Is’ that I regularly fail to fully receive the strength and mercy you shower me with today. Thank you that your love covers all of today’s weakness and sin as well as all the future ones too! One day Lord the dogs won’t be snarling at the door any more*, but in the mean time you will be my fortress and my strength.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. 1 Thes 5:23, 24

I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Phil 1:3-6

*more on Psalm 59 to follow as I reflect on an excellent talk I heard on it this Saturday!