I’m a worrier. I don’t know why. Maybe I was born with it (maybe it’s Maybelline…ha! I couldn’t resist). Maybe it’s a learned habit. Maybe it’s simply from reading and watching the news (which is filled with all the scary things of this world).
No matter the reason, I worry.
I worry what people will think if I can’t hang out when they ask.
I worry if I’m giving Liam enough healthy foods.
I worry about money.
I worry about whether my children see family enough.
I worry about whether I left my hair straightener on when I’m 99% positive I didn’t (but was that yesterday that I turned it off?).
I worry that my dogs will miss me when we’re on vacation.
When I get sick, I worry that it could be more than just a stomach bug.
I worry that something has happened to Matt when he’s on a trip and I haven’t heard from him in a while.
And I know I shouldn’t worry.
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
So, today when I dropped Liam off at Vacation Bible School I should have been prepared for my worry.
But I wasn’t. He’s been dropped off at camps before.
But those camps were the only one going on at the time and there were two or three teachers to his group.
Today, VBS was at a church our friends go to but I had never been to. They were sweet enough to meet us at the door so Liam and her son could go in together.
There were children everywhere. Thankfully, it was organized chaos with all of them sitting in their assigned areas. The teacher in me relaxed a bit. Haha.
I walked Liam to the name tag table where his name tag was NOT there. So I grabbed a blank one and wrote his name on it. My smart thinking friend told me to write Pre-K on it. Smart!
We walked in and took them to the front pew. I made sure the young helper knew Liam was there, hugged and kissed Liam and then I left.
Once in the car, my worry set in.
What if he gets separated from his group? He doesn’t know his way around that church!
What if he doesn’t like it and gets upset? Will someone comfort him?
What if there’s an emergency? A fire? Intruder? Yes, my brain went there. That worry can definitely be blamed on TV.
What if he gets hurt? They have my number. Or do they? They didn’t have his name tag after all.
So many worries! I do not know how I am going to survive motherhood if I nearly start crying leaving him at a three-hour Vacation Bible School.
My nerves are going to be shot when he goes to kindergarten.
When he has his first sleepover. And don’t get me started on kids who go to sleep away camp. I think that’s amazing but I just can not imagine sending him off!
When he drives away for the first time. I don’t think I can handle that. Maybe by that time they’ll have some type of FaceTime camera that I can always BE in the car. HA!
So, I called my mom to have her say a quick prayer for him (and me). Before I can even get my request out of my mouth, her questions start: How long is it? Does he know anyone? He doesn’t know any of the adults? How many kids are there? Do they have your number?
Instead of being a calming phone call, my mom sounded just as worried as me. I was now fighting the urge to turn my car around and fight back tears. If my mom was worried, I certainly should be too!
Mom quickly apologized for jumping on the worry train and said a prayer for me. But it just shows that worry for mom’s doesn’t stop at your children. My mom now not only worries about her three children but also her two grandsons. And my poor grandmother worries about her daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
So, yea. I’ve got years and years of worry left.
Great. Now I’m worried about being worried so much.
I pushed off the thought of going back and checking on him. I am NOT going to be that mother. Instead I showed up to pick him up about fifteen minutes early and this is what I saw:
My heart nearly burst. And, you know what? He’s supposed to go to soccer camp tomorrow but asked to go back to Vacation Bible School instead.
Why, yes son, you may!
And, next time you are worried, just remember what the Bible says in Matthew:
Can anyone of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
Matthew 6:27
Easier said that done but very true. So, when that worry creeps in, no matter how big or small, say a prayer and then find something to distract you.
What is/was your funniest worry for your child? Share with me in the comments!