LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED
No se turbe vuestro corazón
by
Mary Hunt Webb
Posted Friday, April 30, 2021
Do you have something in your life that causes anxiety? [Photographer: Micahel Siebert. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com.]
Are you going through difficult times that make you feel anxious? If you aren't now, you have been in the past or you will be in the future. That's the cycle of life because life never remains constant or static.
There was a time years ago when I experienced health difficulties that had doctors baffled. Of course, that made me anxious.
With the amount of time that I spent waiting in doctors' offices I reasoned that, instead of just sitting and worrying about my health concerns, I would put my time to use. I had a crewel needlework kit that depicted a farm scene and that was left from a time when I had sold crafts. For those of you that wonder, "crewel embroidery" requires the use of slender wool yarn instead of embroidery floss. Not only was that kit large, but it also involved constantly changing colors of yarn. That type of work is called "needle painting."
Needle painting often uses shiny embroidery floss, but that particular kit used wool yarn.
I worked on this crewel embroidery needle painting while I sat in doctors' offices. [Photographer: Mary Hunt Webb*.]
The work was so detailed that I wondered if I had taken on too much. When I first started working on that piece, it had seemed as though my health would never improve. However, working on that project kept me focused on the sewing rather than on my health problems.
The closer I came to completing it, the more my health improved. Even after I no longer needed to go to the doctor for that particular condition, I continued working on that farm scene. When I finished it, I was in the habit of taking needlework with me anywhere that I expected I might need to wait. So when I went to the dentist, I took along smaller needlework projects, such as one depicting a houseplant.
I used crewel embroidery to make use of time that would otherwise be wasted. This one hangs on my living room wall along with a similar one. [Photographer: Mary Hunt Webb*.]
The Bible verse that has comforted me during difficult times is John 14:1, in which Jesus advised, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me." (NKJV) The older I get, the more I understand that it does no good to worry. It is a waste of time because it accomplishes nothing.
The red letters in this King James Version of the Bible indicate the words that Jesus spoke. [Photographer: Riala. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com.]
That's not to say that I never become anxious. Meeting a new doctor for a medical appointment, speaking to an audience that includes strangers, or stepping out of my comfort zone are examples of times in which I must remember to repeat John 14:1 to myself. Now when I am tempted to worry, I try to accomplish something. These days, I keep a book with me and have finished reading quite a few volumes that way. It's also a good time to catch up on Bible reading.
Since I believe in God, I have no reason to be anxious because He is in control. Instead, I can rejoice in the moment and be glad. As the psalmist observed, "This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24 (NLT)
BIBLE VERSES USED IN THIS POSTING
John 14:1 — Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. (NKJV)
Juan 14:1 — No se turbe vuestro corazón; creéis en Dios, creed también en mí. (Reina-Valera 1960)
Psalm 118:24 — This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. (NLT)
Salmos 118:24 — Este es el día que hizo Jehová; nos gozaremos y alegaremos en él. (Reina-Valera 1960)
Psalm 118:24 — This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. (KJV). [Photographer:DF Nature Awed. Photo courtesy of Stockvault.com.]
* Please do not use our original photos without our permission. These include photos by Mary Hunt Webb, Morris Webb, Jr., Morris Webb, Sr., and C.B. Hunt. Thank you.
