---
title: Handing over My Tangled Mess
description: "...and the Lord told Monica McConkey \"Hand over your tangled mess.\""
---

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# Handing over My Tangled Mess

Aug 19, 2016 4:30:59 PM  |  by [Monica McConkey](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/monica-mcconkey)

![tangled mess string](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/tangled-mess-string-550x269.jpg?width=550&height=269&name=tangled-mess-string-550x269.jpg)

Do you ever worry? Do you ever pray ***Jesus, I trust in You***, all the while coordinating your best backup plan* just in case*?

[Tweet "Do you pray Jesus, I trust in You but coordinate your best backup plan just in case?"]

I do.

Sometimes my* to do* lists churn into sticky-note reminders for my kids' *to do* lists and I'm troubleshooting things that haven't even happened ...for [***jobs that aren't even my problem***](http://catholicmom.com/2016/06/17/job-not-problem/). Sometimes, I wake up the next day to find that all that *busy work* I did *while I couldn't sleep at three in the morning*...was completely unnecessary. I really should have listened to the answer gently placed on my heart.

*Peace. *

*Pray more.*

*Give your worries back to Me to manage.*

*Don't rely on resolution for your peace. That's not surrender. That's not trust. *

## *Trust is handing it back to Me, *

## *unresolved and tangled up*

## *...and trusting that I can work with it *

## *and renew you through it.*

*When you pray, all the while trying to find solutions or fixes, that's not trust in Me, it's trust in you.*

*It's pride. It's you pretending that you don't need Me.*

![back of a brick wall](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/back-of-a-brick-wall-550x270.jpg?width=550&height=270&name=back-of-a-brick-wall-550x270.jpg)

I've heard this quote attributed to St. Augustine, St Ignatius Loyola, Martin Luther and Dave Ramsey:

## *“Pray as if everything depended on God and work as if everything depended on you.”*

But I don't think the* work* refers to *busy work and back up plans*.

Praying works best when I acknowledge what I'm worried about and* also acknowledge that my worrying isn't actually helping*

...and when I finally say

**Lord, please take care of this tangled mess for me. **

**Jesus, I trust in You.**

...and I fall back asleep.

*Copyright 2016 Monica McConkey.  
**Images copyright 2016 Monica McConkey, www.EquippingCatholicFamilies.com. All rights reserved.*

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#### About the Author

![Monica McConkey](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/Contriubutors/MONICA%20MCCONKEY.jpeg)

### [Monica McConkey](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/monica-mcconkey)

Monica, mom of 5, blogs about Catholic crafts and family traditions at [EquippingCatholicfamilies.com](https://equippingcatholicfamilies.com/). She is an author and creator of Super Saints quizzing cards and over 45 Saint, Sacrament, Catechism and Prayer-packed Craft Kits to help teach the Catholic Faith. The Catholic teaching tools and gifts are available through [Arma Dei](http://armadei.com/), the Catholic family publishing company founded with her husband Bill.

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