My allergies are officially on their way out! Health is such a blessing. This week, I discovered Online Etymology Dictionary, a site dedicated to etymology, which is basically the study of words and their meanings over time. I have learned so much about the Old English roots of words that I use on a daily basis. A lot of the words we use today, did not sound or look the same hundreds of years ago.
Did you use the word lufu this week? What about wyrgan? Chances are you didn’t. What about worry and love? Aah, those probably look more familiar to you. Lufu, meaning “the love of God” is the Old English mother of love. And Wyrgan, which means “to strangle” is the Old English father of worry. To strangle!? After reading that I refreshed my browser and looked the word, worry up again, just to make sure I had read that right!
God makes it pretty clear throughout the Bible that we are not supposed to worry. You can pick any book of the Bible (I might be exaggerating a bit) and find a scripture about casting our cares on Him and laying down all worried thoughts. Like the great omniscient Father, He is, God knows that worrying about tomorrow or even 20 minutes from now, doesn’t just short circuit our prayers, but pilfers the life out of us…slowly.
This past week was so exhausting and challenging, not because Jesus didn’t show up, but because I was sleeping, eating, working and studying all with my own hands tightly wrapped around my neck. Instead of allowing His living waters to flow and quench my thirst, I was stopping them and looking for water in all the parched places of this world. Worry is a sneaky parasite, promising treasures of peace, yet delivering great troves of peacelessness. It’s a trap…a smoke screen, crafted by none other than the robber of peace himself, Satan.
On a higher, more brighter note, there is hope! None of God’s children are ever too far gone or too entrapped to be freed. Freedom starts whenever we are ready to receive it!
Until Thursday with much lufu,
