Waiting on the storm

I sat around all day today waiting on a storm that didn’t come. It was a complete and total waste of my time. And, before you start judging me, it’s not like I didn’t do things, I did, and I was super productive with my time. But I was distracted and not as focused as I could have been. Or rather I was focused on the wrong things. I have been worried about being stranded in the mountains, with the kids, BY MYSELF! I was so focused on being stuck in for the next few days I didn’t realize I could have gone out today. So, instead, I waited on the storm that never came.

Have you ever done that? We sit and stew and ponder and wonder…what if? Then we follow the rabbit trail…

And it never happens.

Yet we stewed over it for a day…

Or two…

Or a week…

Got ourselves into a real tizzy…

Yet, it never happened!

Why do we do this? Why do we waste our energy on things that they don’t need to be wasted on? Why do we worry ourselves to death on what ifs?

I have to tell you, I am completely exhausted.

 Emotionally and physically. I look at all the energy I wasted yesterday and today on the storm and what I was going to do…and yet nothing.

It’s not that it’s not coming, it just hasn’t come yet.

And truly, what am I so worried about? We have food, clothes, power, heat, a gas fireplace so even if the power goes out we will be totally fine.

I had lost my perspective. I tend to do that when I am overstressed or overtired and right now I simply am both. I was choosing to focus on what I couldn’t do, instead of what I could do. I was choosing to worry when I should have been praising God that the storm hasn’t hit! And, it’s not like I didn’t have choices this weekend, I did. We could have gone to my sister’s for the weekend, but I was worried about not being able to get back here at the end of the weekend and I want us to stay on a somewhat normal school routine. (worried, worried, worried!)

And didn’t I say we were going to retreat in the mountains for two weeks? What better way to retreat than to be stranded, LOL!

What about you? What are you focusing on? Are you focused on what you can’t do? Or what you can? Don’t lose your perspective. If you are focusing on the negatives, found the positives, they are there, in the middle of the greatest storms there is still something positive you can be focused on.

“Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Matthew 6:27

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it’s own.” Matthew 6:34

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6