“My Precious”

We all remember the repulsive character Gollum in Tokien’s  “the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings.” Gollum was consumed by his lust for the “Ring”, calling it “my precious”. Desire for the ring consumed him…always on his mind. In the end, he possessed it for a brief moment before it destroyed him. 

I was thinking, again, about “worry” the other day. What I realize is that I don’t worry about things that are of no value to me…. that are not important to me. I do worry about things that are important to me and are somehow being threatened. It can be a good test of “what I value”. If I misplace a quarter, I don’t worry about finding it…it’s just not that important to me. On the other hand, if a check I’m expecting doesn’t arrive, I begin to think about it and maybe start to worry about it. 

So, think about what you are worrying about and it will probably indicate what you value. If you’re like me, you may be a bit surprised…. “wow, I didn’t think I valued that, but I sure do worry about it.”  

I’m not surprised by many of the things I worry about….the coronavirus (the people suffering, effects on the economy, on schools, on  sports, on leisure…going out to dinner, etc.), ….. the riots and unrest and elections in November (will those elected protect the values of our nation) ….. family (their future in light of the many challenges facing us),…..the church, with its many weaknesses ….salvation of my soul (my own, Judy, our family and friends , and others… will we all make it to our eternal home in heaven)

Other things I worry about do surprise me a bit. I can find myself concerned about  my reputation (do people like me … gee, I thought I was beyond that),  of my financial future, of losing my comfort, of getting old, and even things like “… did the Cardinals win, how did Seton Hall’s basketball team do,…did Miles Powell get drafted, what’s the weather going to be like tomorrow. 

This review may help me understand a bit more what I really value and perhaps decide to let some things go ( “will I ever be able to touch the rim again… yes to those of you snickering, I was able to touch the rim in high school.)

The final thought is to trust God to take care of the important things. He has promised to help us. 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Prov. 3:5-6)  Remember Psalm 56, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”, and Hebrews 13:6 “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”(Heb. 13:6)…. and many, many other promises from the Lord to take care of us in our times of need. 

So, when we tend to worry, let’s do a quick review…discarding things we value that are of no real value (our “precious” items) and entrusting the rest to our Lord who loves us and will take care of us.