Preoccupied!!!

Preoccupied!!! We in this earthly life tend to get so busy with earthly things. We concern ourselves with earthly worries. My dads pup, a five year old German Shepherd, became suddenly sick a few days ago and was admitted to the vet clinic, where, sadly , she died today. I expressed my condolences to my dad, who replied, "Sometimes the answer is no." I nodded my head in agreement, knowing he was referring to the answer to prayer. Then the attention turned back to another family member, in the midst of marital woe. Peggy Sue did not cross my mind again today, until suddenly, just now, late at night. and just as suddenly, the tears began to flow. It dawned on me, that I did not even cover the health of my dads beloved new pup in prayer....and I suspect he probably thought I did. and just as suddenly, it dawned on me...my dad himself must have even been praying for the recovery of his dog. You see, my dad is not a church going man....and he knows I have prayed for every one of my dogs, when they were in need of good health, or lost, needing found. And always, I have recieved a favorable answer from the Lord. I wonder, was he praying for Peggy Sue? Or did he expect that I was? Or both? He helped me look for my lost German Shepherd several years ago. I had spent 4 days searching for Ginger...I had given her away to a young man who lived in town and she got loose from him within the hour of arriving at her new home. I vowed that if I found her, I would bring her back home with me , never to give her away again. Dad helped me set up a big box trap baited with food, to catch her in. After we set the trap, and headed back home, I told him I had been praying that God would bring her back to me and that I always expected an answer. My dad wisely counseled me that, "sometimes, the answer is No.". the next day we went back to the spot where we set the trap...and there, in trap, was Ginger!! She was very happy to see me again, and happily, I said to Dad, and sometimes the answer is yes!!" the past few weeks have found my mind very preoccupied with the worries of this world. a close family member is going thru a nasty divorce, and the matters of that situation have very much consumed my mind and time. I have even found it hard to focus on my daily bible reading ,and tho I have been prayerful, and I think I did pray once for my dads pet........or did I? Jesus instructs us in Matthew 6:25-34, to not worry...for worrying cannot make anything better. Worrying about the cares of this world will only take our focus off of whats important, choking out Gods word from our hearts. When we let worry consume us , it DOES consume us..it takes its toll on us, mentally and physically. It makes us forget whos in control here...us...or God. Our preoccupation with worldy matters easily ensnares us and weighs us down. "let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus"...(Hebrews 12:1, 2) Sometimes it takes a slap in the face to bring us back to reality of who is in control . Even the death of a dog.