AA3


I asked God to take away my pain.
God said, No.
It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No.
Her spirit was whole, her body was only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No.
Patience is a by-product of tribulations; it isn't granted, it is earned.

I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, No.
I give you blessings. Happiness is up to you.

I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No.
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No.
You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, No.
I will give you life so that you may enjoy all things.

I ask God to help me LOVE others, as much as he loves me.
God said... Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.

A story worth dusting off is about a man who bragged: "I only worry about two things -- whether I am sick or well. If I'm well, I have nothing to worry about! And if I'm sick, I've only got two things to worry about -- whether I get better, or whether I die. If I get better, I have nothing to worry about! And if I die, I've only got two things to worry about -- whether I go to heaven or hell. If I go to heaven, I have nothing to worry about. And if I go to hell, I'll be so busy greeting my friends I won't have time to worry! So why worry?"

Regardless of how you feel about his view of life after life, he makes a good point about worry! There is really no room for NEEDLESS concern about the future. I like what Ralph Waldo Emerson said about worry:

Almost without our being aware, healthy concern can be transformed into cancerous worry. And though it is true that most people worry needlessly at times, many of us feel consumed with worry too much of the time. We find ourselves "enduring torments of grief" from evils that have not yet arrived and probably never will.