A Lesson in Worry

     I own a pet care company and the other day we missed a dog visit. One of my pet sitters just completely failed to show up and let a dog out. She was scheduled to be there, but for some reason, she claims she did not know about it. The parent of the puppy contacted me at around 4:30 in the evening and asked if her pet sitter had come when she was supposed to. I explained to the pet owner that we had been having some technical difficulties that day with our scheduling and I was pretty sure, but would text the pet sitter and find out for certain. I texted my pet sitter and waited to hear back, not thinking that much more about it. About 15 minutes later, the parent texted me again and said that no one had entered the home since 11:00 in the morning because she checked their security alarm and that is the last entry noted. I still had not heard anything from the pet sitter, and the parent was getting a little concerned that her poor puppy had not gone out of her crate and might need a break. I dropped everything, apologized profusely for the misunderstanding and headed

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straight to the home of the client.

     While I was on my way there, I found myself worrying. I was worried that this would cause us to loose this client and that it would give us a bad mark in our {so far} good record with clients. In almost five years of pet sitting, we have only ever missed two dog visits, this one made three. That is a good track record for a pet care company, and prayerfully, that number will not grow by much more, ever! I understand that human error happens, I just make it my goal as the owner of the company to make sure it happens as little as possible.
     Throughout the rest of the evening I texted the puppy parent to make sure that all was well and that she knew her pup was well taken care of. I did everything in my power to make sure that our client was pleased and content with the outcome of the situation. She thanked me for all that I did do and that was the end of it. Even though in my heart I was full of worry, the situation seemed to be resolved without any further issues. She did not go in and cancel our services, so I breathed a little easier that night, but the worry was still there.

     I worry a lot. I can honestly say that I did not realize how much I worried until the Lord clearly showed me my heart that night while I drove to the clients home. Was there anything at all that I could do to change the situation that I currently found myself in? No, there was not. Was there anything at all that I could do to change the outcome of the situation I found myself in? No, I did what I believed the Lord wanted me to do and that was all I could do. So why then was I full of worry? I kept hearing the word of Jesus in my head, over and over again.

"And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?" Matthew 6:27 ESV

     Two days after this event took place I received a phone call from a man and his wife who were looking for dog care. I scheduled a meeting with them and they told me that their friend and co-worker, the parent whose dog we just forgot, was the one who recommended us to them. I remember thinking to myself that it must have been before the incident, because who would recommend us after a disaster like that! But, they wanted us to care for their dog, so off I went to meet them and their dog.
     While I was there, the wife told me that she worked with our client, that is how she heard about us. She then informed me that she was there when our client contacted me and told me that no one had shown up. She was right there at the desk sitting next to her. My heart stopped. She said that she watched the interaction I had with her co-worker and she read the texts and observed the whole interaction between our company and our client. She stated that the way that I handled that situation was the deciding factor for her and her husband that we were the pet care company for her. She was not only impressed by my quick response but she was most impressed by the kindness and compassion that followed.

     I was floored. Here I was that whole time worried and freaking out (seriously, you should have seen the way I was driving to the clients house, total freak out!) that we were going to loose this client for sure, and God, in His glorious wisdom and glorious love was using that situation to bring us another full time client. He used that bad situation and turned it into something that not only blessed me, but gave Him the glory. Out of that conversation I was able to share with her my faith and trust in the Lord! I told her how I prayed and prayed for all to turn out well, and how sorry I was for the situation that took place at all. It was a moment of glory for our God, and all I could do was praise Him for His hands over my life.

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

     You see, here I was worried about what might happen, and God the whole time was using it as an opportunity to turn into good. What I learned was that there is absolutely no reason at all to worry. What is going to happen is going to happen. We are not God my friend. We cannot change the outcome of any situation, so why are we wasting so much time worrying over things we cannot change?
   

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 Jesus asked us why we are so anxious about things that we have absolutely no control over? We can't change what has happened, and we can't change the outcome, but we can trust the One who is in control of everything- even our mistakes.

     I could not change what happened that day. There was nothing I could do about the fact that one of my pet sitters screwed up. I could not change the fact that our client had to experience what happened. What I could do was trust that God, in His great and mighty wisdom would take that situation and make it into something of glory for His name. We have to trust that God always, always, always has the best intentions for us. We cannot change anything. Let's face it, we are powerless over our lives, but we have a God who is powerful above everything and everyone. There is nothing that is past His reach, there is nothing that is out of His grasp. He knew that day was going to happen, and He had already worked it out for my good and His glory.
     We can't change what has happened or what might happen. All we can do is trust the One who has our days prepared, planned and laid out before us. We haven't been able to change anything up to this point by worrying about it, why do we think we can start now? Let God be God and let Him handle the outcome. Don't worry, don't be anxious, trust in the Lord who has your best in His hands. Amen?