Amazing are the long lasting effects of the perfect storm, Sandy, this fall. My friend, Carl, was in NYC, working last week when a piece of meat got lodged in his esophagus . Beyond his meal being rudely interrupted, and the table full of clients thinking he was having a heart attack, he could not get the food dislodged on his own.

Carl went to two hospitals, one was NYU hospital, and another a clinic, only to find them closed due to Sandy’s brutal storm. My friend finally found help at the Emergency room at Beth Israel Hospital. Beyond the trauma of his ruthless and unmovable piece of meat in his throat, his helpless condition was addressed with a 11 hour wait in a hospital gown, followed by surgical procedures to his esophagus.  He was finally helped, and starving. He had not eaten for a day and a half, nothing going in or out of his throat.

Carl, upon being discharged, went to his dinner meeting with his boss and clients for soup and something pureed. He is now asking for a blender for Christmas in this season of his life. No doubt, he bit off more than he could chew.

As I shudder to think about the trauma, I saw where cares of this world have the same reaction. Matthew says,”  Beware of the cares that choke out…” When life’s storms hit and the institutional organizations are empty and of no immediate help, there is One who remains faithful and ready. He has promised to make a way of escape, and no storm leaves Him powerless. Choking on cares only leads to indigestion. The feast of His promises is overlooked when internally digesting on cares, worries and fear.

I too struggle with cares, at times. His instruction to, “Cast all your cares on Him for He cares for you, is like a fishing line. I cast it and then pull it back. What is the payoff to carry them, I McWonder? Storms, calamity and ruin might be out of our control to avoid, but how we respond to them is in our control and it’s about a choice.

Perhaps you think that casting your cares on someone else seems irresponsible and negligent. However, Christ asks us to let Him carry them. He is the One who can defy any economy, give peace in the storm and orchestrate situations of help and remedy–and He delights in the impossible. Nothing is impossible for God.

So, what have you been choking on lately? What nutrients of His blessings are being denied you as you try to find help? His ability to keep you, no matter the problem, is an impeccable record. Breathe deeply again, for He never sleeps or slumbers. His purposes and plans are beyond our comprehension. He invites us to “taste and see that the Lord is good.”

Chew on that for a while as you go today.

 When you choose to look past the horizon… the sky is the limit!