Guiding the shopping cart of life

CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON

“I will let God’s peace infuse every part of today. As the chaos

swirls and life’s demands pull at me on all sides, I will breathe in

God’s peace that surpasses all understanding. He has promised that He

would set within me a peace too deeply planted to be affected by

unexpected or exhausting demands.”

-- UNKNOWN

“Look out Cindy, I have a crazy cart.” I looked up to see a friend

trying to maneuver a shopping cart that seemed to have a mind of its

own. I couldn’t help but laugh. “You look like you are dealing with a

wild animal or something,” I said. “Well, I’ve never tried to rope a

steer, but I’m getting some training today.”

I stopped to help guide the cart before her paper towels began

bouncing out. It seemed like each wheel was headed in a different

direction. I walked her to her car and helped her unload her

groceries. We stood and talked for a while. “I find that the older I

get, the less I understand the way life works, so I am trusting God

more,” she said. “Since I can’t figure things out, I’ve decided to

trust God instead of telling him how I think things should go. When I

try to live life my way, it goes as crazy as this cart and pretty

soon it’s more than just paper towels and napkins that bounce around

and fly all over the place.”

She told me about some of the struggles in her life, which

included serious health issues. “You seem so calm and peaceful, I’m

impressed,” I replied. Besides the peaceful look on her face, she

seemed to glow, as if God had just kissed her face. “Don’t be

impressed with me, it’s all due to God, and a lot of prayer.” She

said, “I’m also learning to laugh more, stress less and focus on the

positive whenever possible. I also pray for God to fill me with his

peace.” We spoke about how life is filled with unexpected things,

some of them good, others that aren’t.

The wind started to blow and clouds darkened the sky. “If we only

focus on the dark, hard parts of life, our thoughts swirl out of

control like this wind,” she said, and then she looked at her watch.

“Thank you for taking the time to talk with me,” I said, and we

hugged. “You were just what I needed today, because my mind was

starting to swirl, and I’d prefer God’s peace,” I replied. I reached

for her cart. “Are you sure that you want this cart?” she asked.

“It’s crazy, you know?”

“I think I can handle it,” I said.

As I maneuvered the wobbly cart back to the market, I realized

that in some ways, life is like shopping carts. Sometimes things run

smoothly, and other times they seem out of control. I think it will

help to give God my daily shopping cart of cares and ask him to calm,

control and point them in the direction that he wants. Whenever the

cart seems bumpy and my mind starts to swirl, I’ll also do my best to

breathe out my problems, and breathe in God’s peace.

And you can quote me on that.

* CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON is a Newport Beach resident who speaks

frequently to parenting groups. She may be reached via e-mail at

cindy@onthegrow.com or through the mail at 537 Newport Center Drive,

Box 505, Newport Beach, CA 92660.