You might hope 2009 slows down for you, but the truth is, in our fast-paced society everything is urgent. What should you do about Aunt Em, who has moved into residential care this year and expects you to visit weekly? You enjoying listening to her memories of years gone by, but truth be told, all the while you are there you are thinking about your to-do list. Between transporting children to appointments, shopping for groceries, and trying to hold down a work-at-home job, you are pulled in many directions. As the list of "need to do" items multiply and you require more than twenty-four hours a day to get it all down, I wonder what gets top billing on your schedule?



We've just moved into a different house and for the last couple of weeks, the only thing in my line of vision has been brown cardboard packing cases. Today I discovered two things that were right at the bottom of a box marked "Marion. Personal." Swathed in tissue paper was an ornament that I bought while on holiday in Greece a few years ago. A carved hand cradles a small girl, who leans trustingly against the protective marble fingers that curve around her. Underneath it, lay a framed piece of card that usually sits on the bookcase in my study. A dear friend wrote the sentiment just for me in beautiful calligraphy. "My child" it said, "Trust me. I have everything under control. Jesus."

Does "everything" actually mean "everything"? Can I really lean on God for the little things that loom so large when families gather together? Can I trust Him with Uncle Joe, who is so tactless and quite likely to tell his sister that she's gained weight - a very sensitive subject - since last they met? Can I trust Him to help me to figure out how to provide a celebration meal for our extended family when money is short after this year's financial losses? Will He help me to remain peaceful and joyful when our youngest son and his partner are dividing their children's time between two different homes?

Years ago, when my children came in from school, tired and perhaps a little grumpy after a demanding day, we would make a drink and sit down together for a few quiet moments. Sometimes they didn't want to say much. Just curling up bedside me on our saggy old sofa was enough. At other times it would all come pouring out. And then they would run off to play - comforted.

Today, before I do anything else I'm going to curl up on the sofa for a few brief moments with God. "Dear God it's me." I'll say. "And You know it is urgent. I'm way behind with everything, and I can't create more days in which to get it all done. You know what I'm facing Lord. You understand my hopes, my fears, my strains and my stresses. Hold onto me Lord. Help me to curl up confidently in the palm of your hand. Let me hear those words again, spoken just to me. 'Marion. Trust Me. I have everything under control. Jesus.'"

Marion Stroud lives in Bedford, England. She is a wife, mother of five adult children and grandmother to eleven grandchildren. She is an established, popular author and sought-after speaker whose books have been translated into 14 languages. In her spare time she enjoys walking, supporting and encouraging missionaries and traveling. Listeners enjoy her British accent and request readings just to hear her speak.