ORIGINAL ART & INSPIRATION BY PAUL T. & KATHY BOECHER©

Last night as we drove home from the country, I half expected to have a deer jump out into the darkened roads.  The sun goes down much earlier now and deer have been known to be more than a little distracted this time of year.

It got me thinking about how distraught we can become by the cares and problems of life.  Even when things seem to be moving along smoothly, something smacks you right between the eyes without your ever realizing it was coming.  Times like that can come out of nowhere and change your whole way of thinking – steal your joy – cause you to fret – and as you become older, those things can even take your very life.

Us old fogies like to think as little as possible.  Our brains are full of years of useless information and we much prefer not adding too much more to the mix.  Our joy can easily dwindle since it seems to take more energy to be happy than to grumble.  We also have a habit of worrying about things that really don’t matter.

However, whatever the age,  we should put things into  perspective and when cruddy stuff happens, we should be like the proverbial duck that sheds trouble like water off his back.  Fortunately, as Christians, we’re invited to lay our cares at the feet of Jesus and He will carry our burdens.  I’d say that’s a lot easier than trying to figure things out alone.  He has taken our sin to the cross, buried it in the grave and given us new life through His resurrection.

With news like that, we can leap like a deer and overcome all obstacles – and God even provides the means for us to do so.