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Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Worry Wart

Worries....
we all have them and frequently they are generated by 'science' and 'research' and 'experts' and assorted other harbringers of doom.
Sometimes we amateur worry warts do not even need help, we can generated all manner of threatening situations and pending doom on our own.

Parents of babies worry about illness. I recall watching a sleeping newborn girl some nineteen years ago. "Is she breathing?," I found myself wondering. She was. Each breath a gift. Like everyone gets that gift.
When they are growing we sweat out their successes in school, sports, with peers. We worry about their bodies and souls, minds and hearts. When they are around us we worry that they are not out, and when they are out, well,, we worry.

We worry about our jobs, our houses, our relationships. We worry about too much sun, or too little. We worry about fat, or carbs, or vitamins. Whatever expert we follow, we always know that another waits with the "latest" research to tell us that what we have been doing is not helpful at all, or is dangerous. [I just saw an article about a girl who got sick because she ate too much healthy food, like kale...]

Jesus asked the question, paraphrased here, "How does worrying and fretting make your life better?" Good question.

St. Paul said we are saved by faith. I remind you 'faith' also means trust. Trust is not worry focused. It is probably true we are 'saved' from much of life's problems if we trust more and worry less.

Mind you, I was called "worry wart" as a two year old. I was doing risk analysis in pre-K and had a PhD in fretting and pondering doom before I was sixteen. And I worry about how bad worrying is for me, spiritually, physically and emotionally.

You have to face your genetic loading and personality......

Anyhow, I have, for all my worrying. also learned to accept my limits, to periodically seek good (and not excellent), be happy with "less than perfection" and remind myself that God loves me.

I love people in spite of their imperfections, you do too. Sometimes flaws make someone more attractive. And Jesus came to save sinners, broken people and wounded souls. Jesus came to love the unlovable and forgive the unforgivable. Jesus came to call us to follow. All of us. Even, and especially losers....

If God is for us, who/what else can matter.

So maybe today we can all remember the Bright Future promised to those who seek the Lord and love Him. Worry less, pray more. Worry less, love more. Worry less, laugh more.

1 comment:

  1. I am also a worrier. So much so that I wrote a book on it to see if doing the research would help. Indeed, it does. But I'm a work-in-progress. You may want to check out my book; I still do. It's called THE WORRYWART'S PRAYER BOOK. It's filled with Scripture, affirmations, anecdotes and prayers to help worrywarts get off the worry-go-round and trust God more. My favorite: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea." Psalm 46:1, 2. I also love the one my husband came up with: "Let there be no crisis before its time." Anyway, nice blog.....and good advice: give all your worries to God. He's the only one Who can make any sense of them.

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