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authorsandyhasting

 Nothing is too small



Casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7 KJV).

One warm summer morning, I woke up and headed for the kitchen. As usual, I pushed the curtains open, and in the bright morning sun, I could see the back of the house. As I scanned the back porch, my eyes widened in shock, and a shiver of fear ran up my spine when I saw blood on the porch. I quickly scanned the area, looking for the source, and was horrified when I saw a snake wrapped around our pet toad.


A water moccasin was steadily pumping venom into Timothy, our one-eyed toad that lived on our back porch. I frantically yelled for my family, who immediately came running. My children and I began praying while my husband worked to remove the snake from our toad and dispose of it.


Freed from the snake, Timothy slowly hopped off the porch and headed to the field, leaving a trail of blood behind him. Every morning, we looked for Timothy and prayed the Lord would help our pet toad survive. We prayed, hoped, and yet doubted he could recover from such a deadly attack.


I stepped out onto the back porch this morning and was surprised to see a toad. But was it our toad? Hope and excitement began to grow in my heart as I cautiously made my way over to it. Yes, it was our toad! Our one-eyed Timothy was back, and we were thrilled. God answered our prayers and spared our pet.


Many might say my friends in this story were foolish to pray for their pet toad. Others might think this request is too small or insignificant to bring before the Lord, but I disagree.


The father in our story did not hesitate to free the toad from the water moccasin even though the snake bite could be deadly for him. He cared less about the danger he faced and more about what was important to his family, even if it was a one-eyed toad.



 The love of our heavenly Father is far greater than any earthly father. "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" (Matthew 7:11 KJV).

 

Is any care or burden too small or trivial to bring to our Father? The Book of James tells us to bring ALL our cares or concerns to the Lord. The word all is inclusive; therefore, there are no exceptions regardless of the size.

 

How could we think God, who knows the number of hairs on our heads and keeps our tears in a bottle would consider any of our burdens too small? Have you asked Him to help you find your misplaced car keys or credit card or to help a sick pet? How about a parking place? What might seem small or trivial to me could be a major concern to you.

 

We used to have a large van, and when I drove to town and entered the parking garage, I always asked the Lord for a good parking place. I needed one far from a pole or wall. I got specific because the van was difficult for me to park. The Lord knew all about my difficulty and consistently provided the right spot.

 

There is no scriptural indication that we should only pray about the "big" things in life, like medical emergencies, broken relationships, runaway kids, or lost jobs. Just the opposite is true. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6 KJV). If we were more conscientious about bringing the little things to our Father, we might have fewer big ones.

 

Bringing all our cares and burdens to the Lord pleases Him because it reveals our trust and confidence in Him. It also brings us a supernatural calm, peace, and a feeling of security. "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippines 4:7 KJV).

 

The benefits of resting in God's care and experiencing His peace are far-reaching. It affects many areas of our being, increasing patience, tolerance, and concentration which enables us to make better decisions. Our body produces dopamine and serotonin, hormones that give us a sense of well-being. In this state, our heart rate stabilizes, and our immune system is strengthened.

 

It is easy to see why it’s wise to unburden ourselves of all our concerns and worries and give them to the One who wants to carry them…our loving, powerful Lord. It doesn’t matter if it is as small as a one-eyed toad or lost keys or as large as a broken relationship, a wayward child, or a heavy heart. We have a choice. We can turn it loose, place it in the hands of our Lord, and experience His unexplainable, extraordinary peace in our hearts. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3 KJV).

 

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