Fret Not

Dear Faith Family,

Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers, (Psalm 37:1). 

Do you ever have occasion to fret?  Like, take driving for instance.  Can you recall an evildoer behind the wheel of a car?  When you recount the story do your thoughts / words escalate?  Does your blood pressure take a turn toward the north?  Like, take being a parent or a child for instance.  Can you recall hurtful words?  Words that generate thoughts of retaliation?  Words that aren’t quickly forgotten.  Like, take employment for instance.  Can you recall employer / employee decisions that produced unwelcome friction?  Decisions that started a burn deep within?  Like politicians?  Ok. Let’s not go there! 

How about a blog that brings back all those raw, gut-wrenching frets? (Please don’t stop reading now.  You’ll miss the point.)  Isn’t it Interesting that we call those little bars on the neck of a guitar frets?  The place of friction.  The place where heat is generated. 

And not once, not twice, but three times in Psalm 37, King David, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, told us to fret not – to stop fretting!  In fact, it was the first thing out of his mouth in verse one!  But how do we stop?  Where’s the “off” switch?  Thankfully David didn’t just say “stop it”!  Instead, we’re given the antidote, the “off” switch. 

Trust in the Lord, Delight yourself in the Lord.  Commit your way to the Lord.  Be still before the Lord.  Wait for the Lord.  Maybe (ok. scratch maybe), we need to refocus.  Notice that each remedy has a common denominator, THE LORD!  When He has our attention, fretting tends to scatter. 

Let’s be real, we like to watch the fingers of a master musician rather than the frets on the neck of the guitar.  After an amazing solo I’ve yet to hear the words, “Did you see those frets? They were amazing!”  The fingers of God strategically placed between the frets produce beautiful music!  So, here’s the question?  Are our minds stayed on the frets of life?  Or does someone else have our attention? 

Learning how to delight in the Lord,

Pastor Karl