Worry Box

A Poem By Joy Aletheia Stevens

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I put my worry in a box,

And laid it at the cross.

It was no great sacrifice,

And certainly no loss.

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But then I took it up again,

And took it to myself,

As if it was a long lost friend,

Or some great and mighty wealth.

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Why I would not leave it there

I certainly don’t know.

Why I couldn’t cast away my cares,

And let all my worries go.

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And every day I try once more,

An exercise, ever new,

In trusting Him with my very core,

Growing faith, and courage too.

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Courage yes. Does it sound strange?

Trusting Christ is no risk to start.

Yet it takes courage to let go of my own aims,

And trust Him with my heart.

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It’s my will, not my worries, I now know,

That I need to leave in this place.

My pride in self that I need to let go,

Submit, humbly, before His grace.

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Do I trust Him? With my Life? With my All?

Do I trust Him with every care?

Do I trust me more? Even though I will fall?

I choose today to trust, and leave it there.

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And tomorrow I’ll again make this choice,

Over and over each day.

Submit to His will, listen to His voice,

And in His grace I must stay.

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I’m thankful that He gives me grace for each day,

For each day I need His grace made new.

Until this world fades all and away,

As my heart is ever renewed.

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So today I wrap up, again, this box,

Of all my hopes, my dreams, and my loss.

Of all my worries, I take no stock,

And I lay my life before His cross.

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Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

~Joy Aletheia Stevens

Photo Credit: Do Not Worry by Andy Rennie  (CC BY-SA 2.0)