Bucolic Bliss

 

I sit down at my desk and glance at the list beside my computer.

The to-do list you will always have with you, Jesus said.

Did he?

No, of course not, but he could have.

Earlier, when I sat down in my prayer window this September morning, I gazed out at the bucolic peace beyond the autumn finery on the driveway. Cows grazing luxuriant grass. No bellowing. No jostling. Focused on one thing: getting enough nourishment.

Contrast that with the skulk of restless foxes the other morning. They’d woken me with their disturbing cries. They shifted position warily, constantly on edge, jumpy, alert to every noise.

May I be like the cows today, Lord, content and trusting. May I never be like the wary foxes, nerves jangling, unsure and anxious.

I will never leave you nor forsake you, Jesus promises us. May that truth sink deep into my psyche, and yours, today, so that whatever the day may dish up, I know I don’t have to face it alone.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.

Thank you, Lord.