WORRY WON'T CHANGE A THING, GOOD OR BAD

WORRY WON'T CHANGE A THING, GOOD OR BAD

I have heard it said that most of what we worry about never comes true. That isn't always the case. Some of what people worry about does come to pass. Worrying doesn’t change a thing, though. It is a waste of time and mental energy. It robs us of peace and hinders our progress in whatever we are trying to achieve. It adversely affects our health, including our mental health. When we are told in scripture not to worry, it is a much bigger deal than we make it out to be. We skim over those scriptures and say to ourselves, “Yow, right.” Maybe we should take those scriptures more seriously.

Another form of worry is to go through all of the "What ifs." We do want to learn from a situation but it doesn't help to itemize the "What ifs." If one "if" could be changed, all of them could be changed.

One of our church leaders said that we are to give everything to God including our bills. Everything belongs to Him anyway and that includes the bills. Let God worry about them, but do all within your power to get them paid and be careful what you buy..

Our worries pale in comparison to the trials that people in other countries and even in our own country face. Some are running from bombs and live in constant fear, some are being beaten and/or tortured, some are starving, some have lost everything in natural disasters, etc. Turning to God can make a difference whether big trials or small. They all seem big in the moment. I've heard it said "Don't worry about the small things -- and they're all small." That isn't true either. Some "things" are not small at all but nothing is too big for God.

The old saying “This day too will pass” is so true. A good night’s sleep brings another day and a better mood. Accept what you can’t change and don’t worry about it. God's arm is not too short to solve any problem. But do your part to better the situation if you can.

Help someone else with their problems. It will take your focus off of yourself. You won’t be self-absorbed with worry. Stay busy. Clean your house. Go dancing. Visit with friends. Take a shower. Do things that make you feel better.

Be realistic. Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount "Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" Matthew 6:27

Here's the conclusion of the matter as spoken by Jesus: "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:34) Tomorrow may possibly hold a big problem but cross that bridge when you get to it. Worrying about it today won't help. It will just drain you mentally and physically. And the problem may never materialize.

--Becky Wall