Blog, Poetry

When it comes to troublesome worries, what’s your style? Are you the kind of person who tends to pace the floor when you’re worried about something? What if there was a way to find peace in your circumstances?

I confess, that worry is my bent. Yet, over time, as the Lord has worked in my heart, I’ve come to realize that prayer is the best solution to things that I have no control over— I.O.W., just about everything. That praying, rather than pacing the floor, brings me peace.

Hey that’s three “p’s”!

Did you catch that I’m leading to some more “P’s” of paying attention? Well, just the other day, God laid some new ones on my heart, so gotta obey His leading and share. But this time we’ll not only look at the blessings of some other “p’s” of paying attention, we’ll examine the consequences of the alternative. We’ll look at choices between good and best as they apply to a spiritual walk. We’ll focus on practicing what God tells us to do or, not to do and learn how obeying His word can lead to awesome blessings.  And paying attention to His warnings can help us avoid a lot of pain. Of course, as it happens, all the effects that jumped out at me regarding obedience, begin with the letter “p.”

As I contemplated the additional principles, a well-known Bible story came to mind. In Luke 10:38 it tells of how Martha was annoyed with her sister, Mary, for not helping serve Jesus. She asked Jesus to tell her sister to help her. However, Jesus said, “Martha, Martha, you are worried about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part. Which will not be take away from her.”

In case you didn’t catch that, notice that Jesus was telling Martha to pay attention to the more important things, (like her sister Mary was). He wasn’t saying that serving him was a bad thing but pointed out her bent to “worry about many things,” and that choosing to focus on Him was the better choice. Mary was practicing the principle of “…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” Hebrews 12: 2, and that’s always a good way to start our focus of what is most important.

So, in the next few posts, I’ll touch on some helpful ways we can practice obeying God and how that can produce good fruit. We’ll look first at God’s Promises and Provision for us then His Protection, followed by a deeper search about the Peace He can give. Three more “p’s” of practicing His word will follow those, including Power. Finally we’ll see another story about a woman named Mary and how her practice of paying attention to Jesus resulted in being mentioned positively for centuries afterwards.

In the meantime, I leave you with a new poem and with this: Which is better, having peace or pacing the floor? When we pray with faith, we are trusting God. So, practice trusting in the Lord and His promises, with all your heart, “and lean not on your own understanding, and the peace of God will direct your paths.”

Promise of a New Day

Like the promise of a new day,

My heart hopes in the glorious color of evening’s sunset sway. 

And clinging to God’s promise and His forgiving grace,

Paints hope eternal of a new days’ comforting and gentle pace.

Iris Carignan, 2/13/2025