This papercutting is of my son, Kinzington, when he caught his first fish. 

He had a whole can of worms and he was so afraid to pick one up to bait the hook that he was dancing around all over the place, not wanting to touch them.  Then Grampa came over and, with me standing close and watching, encouraging, Grampa said, “Kinzy, just calm down and we can do this.”  My father in law very carefully, with so much patience, helped him to not be afraid, to put the worm on the hook, cast the reel and land it carefully in the water.  

Then he caught that little fish, but Grampa said it’s small, he shouldn’t keep it.  But, in his eyes, it was this huge largemouth bass, he couldn’t let it go, he called it, “MINE!”  Grampa finally convinces him, in only logic that he can have, that it would be better for him to give it back so that God can take care of it. So, with little 4 year old tears, my son put the fish back into the water and asked God to take care of it.  He learned he had to trust God that it would be okay.

Sometimes my problems seem enormous, insurmountable, and unsolvable!!  I have this quote by Ashleigh Brilliant that says, “It’s not easy taking my problems one at a time when they refuse to get in line”.   Everything seems to hit at once.  They are my can of worms.  I am dancing around, afraid to deal with them.

God has given me wonderful friends that He speaks through.  Depending on the situation, this couple seems to be like my father in law and me, one will stand close, watching and encouraging while the other tells me, “Robin, just calm down and you can do this.”  They then help me to not be afraid, put the worm on the hook, cast my reel and land it carefully in the water. 

Then I get this problem and even though it's small, I want to keep it; I want to say, “MINE!”  With so much patience, my friends remind me that I have to give it to God so that He can take care of it.  Quite often, through grown up tears, I place it gently in my Lord’s hands and ask Him to take care of it, that I just can’t keep it.  I have to trust God that everything will be okay.

Oh, the times that I have thought some small, little fish was really a largemouth bass!  I thought the little problem was “MINE”, too big, even for God.  My humanness takes over and thinks if I hold onto it long enough, it will be okay.  I am so thankful that I have friendships that God is the center of so that I can hear His voice when they speak.  To remind me that I can’t keep it, I need to trust that it will be okay, if only I give the problem to Him to take care of.