8 June | Youth

Try To Sleep

«It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep.» Psalm 127:2

I confess that one of my biggest struggles with God has to do with worries. Once, when I (Júlio) was a 15-year-old teenager, I decided to leave my job. At the time, I attended high school at night, but as I left work late, I did not always get to school on time, because it was on the other side of the city. Then a friend told me that a bank called Banco Real was hiring interns. I went there and signed up. It happened, however, that at the time scheduled for the interview, I was working. When I got there, they did not let me in.

On that day I cried like a child. It felt like my whole life depended on it! At night, I could not sleep. All the images and sensations experienced during the day came to my mind. Then my mother got up and saw me crying on the living room couch. She asked me what was going on, and I told her the whole story. She hugged me and told me to go back to bed and try to sleep.

Sometime later, my friend started working at the bank and went on to study Economics. I also got in at the university, but to study another major. Today I can see that my tears of despair and my excessive worry did nothing to help me understand God's plans for me. He was guiding me, according to His plan, even when I did not realize it.

I do not know what is worrying you today: whether it is your professional future, your relationships, your financial situation, your health or that of a loved one. I do not know if you are the type to hold on to the disappointments and frustrations of the past or if you let yourself be dominated by the anxieties of the future. Allow God to do a detox on you, to make you lighter!

The Lord wants us to live in the present with faith, knowing that we are not left to our own devices. Getting rid of worry is a matter of will, the support of the people that God puts in our path and, above all, daily dependence on God for each decision. Try resting in the Lord. I believe that, under any circumstances, this is possible. Take advantage and do it right now!