There are plenty of things in our lives that we can choose to worry about. Here are just a few:
Some of us worry about handling the responsibilities given to us: Where will the money come from for all the bills? What if I fail? Do I have what it takes? What if I make the wrong choice? What if I have chosen the wrong career?
Others worry about outcomes: How will the kids turn out? What if our loved ones get sick? What if I get sick? Some of us worry ourselves sick about what we will wear and where we will eat.
Whatever the cause, we all can become consumed by the circumstances that we can’t predict or control. Webster’s dictionary defines worry this way: “to think about problems or fears; to feel or show fear and concern because you think that something bad has happened or could happen”. We worry, resting in the hope that the worry will somehow change the situation, solve the problems, or bring peace where chaos and confusion reign. Instead, worry brings sleepless nights, a heaviness that weighs down our hearts, anxiety, and a seriously bad attitude. It leaves us functioning at less than half capacity. Worry does nothing but stop us from making progress on the very issue that we are worried about.
Ultimately, our worry comes down to two things: fear of the unknown and a complete lack of trust. We fear that the future won’t hold what we consider to be good. We fear we won’t get what we want, how we want it, and as quick as we wanted it. We fear the worst case senario and what that will do to us. We don’t trust that God is making progress on our situation, that He is fully aware of our difficulties or that He will come through for us. Fear and a lack of trust cause us to spend our time on “what-if’s”, adding extra steps to our journey, and running after things that make us feel safe and secure, like money, acceptance and approval. Basically, we spend a dollar to make a dime, spiritually speaking. Bad business all the way around.
God doesn’t want us to run after the “what-if’s” swirling around in our heads. He wants us to trust that He will take care of us. He wants us to face the future with confidence. He wants us to laugh at the future because we are so excited for the good things that He has in store. He created us to walk with the confidence that He is caring for us and holds our future in His hands.
Some of us worry about handling the responsibilities given to us: Where will the money come from for all the bills? What if I fail? Do I have what it takes? What if I make the wrong choice? What if I have chosen the wrong career?
Others worry about outcomes: How will the kids turn out? What if our loved ones get sick? What if I get sick? Some of us worry ourselves sick about what we will wear and where we will eat.
Whatever the cause, we all can become consumed by the circumstances that we can’t predict or control. Webster’s dictionary defines worry this way: “to think about problems or fears; to feel or show fear and concern because you think that something bad has happened or could happen”. We worry, resting in the hope that the worry will somehow change the situation, solve the problems, or bring peace where chaos and confusion reign. Instead, worry brings sleepless nights, a heaviness that weighs down our hearts, anxiety, and a seriously bad attitude. It leaves us functioning at less than half capacity. Worry does nothing but stop us from making progress on the very issue that we are worried about.
Ultimately, our worry comes down to two things: fear of the unknown and a complete lack of trust. We fear that the future won’t hold what we consider to be good. We fear we won’t get what we want, how we want it, and as quick as we wanted it. We fear the worst case senario and what that will do to us. We don’t trust that God is making progress on our situation, that He is fully aware of our difficulties or that He will come through for us. Fear and a lack of trust cause us to spend our time on “what-if’s”, adding extra steps to our journey, and running after things that make us feel safe and secure, like money, acceptance and approval. Basically, we spend a dollar to make a dime, spiritually speaking. Bad business all the way around.
God doesn’t want us to run after the “what-if’s” swirling around in our heads. He wants us to trust that He will take care of us. He wants us to face the future with confidence. He wants us to laugh at the future because we are so excited for the good things that He has in store. He created us to walk with the confidence that He is caring for us and holds our future in His hands.
All we have to do is trust in Him and His perfect plan. It may not seem to fit our plan but His ways are greater than our ways.
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. (Matthew 6:25-32 ESV)
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