by MW Cook

Don’t worry…be happy!

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life…
Matthew 6:25

So here’s the deal. Ruth’s visa application is somewhere between Karachi and Islamabad, there is no way I can know if it arrived safely until the middle of next week. Also, in order to get a good deal on plane tickets I paid for our flight last week, though I cannot take possession of the tickets until Ruth’s passport with its visa returns. Imagine what would happen if our ‘reliable’ Pakistani courier service lost the application with her passport. She’d need a new passport, and that takes a while to get, we’d miss our flight. On top of it all when I try to talk to our dear friends at the High Commission they, more often than not, decide to not pick up the phone. The possibility of stress is pretty high these days.

Then I read the Sermon on the Mount. Don’t worry. Don’t worry about your life or your food or your clothes. There’s more to life than all that! The others worry about that stuff, not you! You’re different, you’re set apart, and you’re part of a holy nation whose ruler is God. So don’t worry.
But what if Ruth doesn’t get her visa?
Don’t worry about it.
But what if we’re stuck in Pakistan?
I’m in charge of the limitless cosmos. If you’re stuck here, I put you here.
But what do we do if we have to stay?
Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.
But what if…
The situation doesn’t matter. I am in control. Nothing escapes my power or my grasp or my sight. Whatever happens to you is part of the wonderful story I’m writing with your life. Seek me first; I’ll take care of the rest.

I’ve been listening to a lot of Five Iron Frenzy these days. I miss the old days when I was a ska kid. One of my favorite songs is called The Greatest Story Ever Told. It reminds me why I don’t need to worry. I’m part of a wonderful story. The greatest story. Jesus is making a wonderful story and I’m in it. Everything will work out for my good. So everything may screw up and blow up in my face, no matter, the end will be better because of it. My only job right now is to seek and pray and wait on God. He’ll take care of the rest. The author of my hope is writing the greatest story ever told.

World Without an End

For all the deepest thoughts complied,
Philosophy to laws of physics,
No-one’s ever heard or seen
A more beautiful thing than this love that saved us.

In the soundless awe and wonder
Words fall short to hope again.
How beautiful, how vast your love is!
New forever, world without an end.

The very spark that burns the stars
Drew near to me today.
The God of everything that is
Whispered in my ear that this love is boundless.

In the soundless awe and wonder
Words fall short to hope again.
How beautiful how vast your love is!
New forever, world without an end.

Cook out

PS – Since this blog was first posted the visa application has been returned to us because I needed an extra form that the Consulate in Karachi didn’t give me. I sent the whole deal back to Islamabad two days ago. Looks like we’re cutting it a little close here, eh?