Earlier this month I began to feel the sniffles coming on. I took a decongestant and drank some tea, but was surprised to wake the next morning feeling really ill. I continued applying the usual home remedies and tried to take it easy.

I’d just gotten up from a short nap when I saw a note slipped under my door. After reading that note I felt much worse.

The note was my official notice that the new owners of the townhouse units where I’ve lived the past few years were raising my rent by almost $400 per month. My immediate instinct was to begin to throw things into boxes and start haunting rental offices to find our new home, but I wasn’t physically up to it. I was just too sick and my condition worsened daily.

Eventually, I admitted I needed a doctor. I was diagnosed with acute sinusitis and acute bronchitis. With judicious application of the necessary medications I’ve slowly begun to recover, but for almost ten days I was forced to leave my housing concerns in the hands of the Lord. I was too weak and muddle-headed to try to take control.

I’m still not 100%, but I’m clear-headed enough to see the lesson: Although there has been no miraculous resolution to my situation while I was too sick to fret, my lack of worry and panicky action did not make anything worse. Not being able to run around immediately trying to fix everything hadn’t hurt anything, either.

Trusting God means trusting His timing.  Learning to lean on Him takes repeated practice.

Eventually, I will be back on my feet and begin to feel in control again. I hope I don’t forget who is really in control when that time comes.