Panic or Praise: Focus Your Eyes on What You Want To See

At 6:00 this morning it was still dark when I put on a light sweater and I closed the door behind me to begin my day. I was walking at a fast pace through the neighborhood, collecting the peace in my heart that I was going to need to face the rigors of the new day/week.
The peace in my heart was being disturbed by the appearance of new 'For Sale' signs on the front lawns of houses in my neighborhood. My mind started to go down the path of sadness; wondering about the families in each of these houses and agonizing about what their situations might be. I sent a prayer up for them as I passed the houses with the signs.
I was wondering, "Were they moving to a place that was a better fit for them? Was this a happy move? Was divorce involved? Bankruptcy? Foreclosure in the future? Would the kids have to change schools? Would a new president be a blessing to this country?"
I had not even realized that my peaceful mind had gone to a place that was not so content. My early morning connect-with-God walk and talk was not what I had set out for any more. I was hurting for the stories behind the walls, I was feeling the stress of the economy of the country, I had taken on the problems of the world - and it was starting to feel heavy.
Then...right then - across the lawn of an already-deserted brick home, under the crooked For Sale sign, ran a little bunny; a rabbit seemingly so happy with not a care in the world.
And the irony of all that is happening hit me - right in the heart.
WE are not in control. God did not wake up this morning and say to himself, "Oh No! I slept last night and during that time the world went crazy. What am I going to do now?"
God knew that all of this craziness was going to occur. He even allowed it. Now it is the time to keep our eyes on the light and be still. Listen to what He has to say to us. And do not be afraid. There is nothing to fear, for He is with us always.
That bunny...hopping under the For Sale sign...showed me the presence of the Dream Giver, the Master.
Do we worry about the brick and mortar, or do we trust the One who created the bunny hopping under the sign, on the blades of green grass that began as ONE single seed and grew up into a proud blade of grass? Can we trust someone who can do a miracle like that?
I lightly took the next step on my morning journey inside of my peaceful heart and looked around for all of the things to be thankful for, and the gifts far outweighed the challenges: the sun starting to peek over the mountains, the flowers that are still in bloom in October, the smell of bacon wafting out of the window of a household getting ready to face the new day, the vehicles in the driveways that would be transporting people to their destinations today, the symphony of the birds that were giving me a concert for free, the distant bark of a dog that is bringing joy to a family.
As I was counting the blessings the bunny ran in front of me...ah, a reminder of WHO and WHAT is really important in this life.