Mary’s Musings: Keep Walking

By Mary Bridges, Chaplain

After I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, a dear friend gave me a prayer that I call “Trust.” “Go forward, keep walking, and trust Him” is a line that I used as a mantra. In our COVID world, it is often too easy to focus on worry and negativity to the point they take over our lives. Over the past year, I know I’ve fretted more and sometimes forgotten to trust.

There is a story of a woman who dreamed of going back to her ancestral home in Ireland. She flew to Shannon Airport in County Clare, the whole time complaining about how crowded the plane was. She thought that the cab that took her to her hotel was too small, then she found her hotel room was too cramped and the bed uncomfortable. For two weeks, she traveled through the lush Irish countryside, finding fault with the terrible roads, the noisy pubs and the bland food. She thought that the people were too boisterous and considered them nosy because they always asked how she was. She was surprised that the two weeks of her holiday ended so quickly. Upon her return, she said, “If I’d known it was going to end so soon, I wouldn’t have wasted my time complaining so much.”

Psalm 94:18-19 tells us to trust in God’s unfailing love and when anxiety takes over, he comforts us with joy. “Find joy in the journey” was the first post I saw today when I opened Facebook. It reminded me that joy needs to be our focus. We were not created to be continually anxious, but to bring peace, love, light and joy.  

“When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, LORD, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” (Psalm 94:18-19, NIV)

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