Hello Piney
God bless you this day.
I'm glad to hear that you are feeling better today. Yeah!!!
Piney, I know we've talked about "feelings" and our "emotions" many times, because we both pick up on other peoples' feelings, and they sometimes feel like our own -- even when they are not. Thus, the time bomb feeling.
When it comes to our blood relatives -- family members -- often, we react out of habit instead of how we've been trained by and through God and His leading. As Oasis often says, because we have a dog in the hunt.
But, Piney, just as Jesus said...these are my family...as he pointed to all those gathered around Him.
Sometimes we (you and I) look at our blood family members as "special" and we react differently: and we think we have to come up with the solution -- when in reality, God is STILL the only solution. We have to give them (our blood family and their emotions that they put upon us or that we receive from them when talking with them) over to God -- just as we would if a stranger told us all their problems.
If miles separate us, then we can't give them hugs, sit quietly with them or fix them a meal, but...the words shared; especially those full of fear and worry, must be laid down at the feet of Jesus. They are not ours to carry, and neither are they ours to add more fear and worry to.
Within my own extended family -- which is HUGE!!! -- the same story of woe can make it's rounds for months and even years after the actual members involved in the original challenge are no longer thinking about that event and have moved on in their life. But because their story is still being repeated, others are just going through the needless worry because they just now heard it.
See what I mean?
Lifting them up to our Lord in prayer is doing something, Piney. It is doing a blessed thing, wherein God is being glorified and the needs of those we are concerned for are being heard by The Father. May God's blessed will be done.
Our hope is in Jesus. He is something to be glad in.
God bless and keep you, Piney.
Love,
Mack