Is anything changed by worry?

Worry is like a rocking chair…something to do, but where does it get you?

As a beginning teacher I wanted everything to be perfect and it caused me a lot of anxiety. My first superintendent compared me to the man who was a chronic worrier.

When shown the fallacy of his worry, the man replied, “But worry did some good. Look at all the things that never happened to me because I worried about it!”

Someone has said that worry is the interest you pay on a loan that can never be paid off. There is not one sparrow that falls that God does not know it: “Fear ye not therefore ye are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29).

One hair does not fall from our heads that God does not know it: “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30).

The same God who created the heavens and the earth knows all about us and our needs.

I learned a valuable lesson about worrying from my cat. He lived in the now.

When he relaxed, he totally relaxed. Every muscle in his body was in total relaxation. When our boys sneaked up on him with a model airplane or car, Tom immediately reacted to the problem at hand, but when it was over, he collapsed in total peace.

Is anything changed by worry? Worry is a tormentor. It harasses and intimidates.

Worry is a joy stealer. It is a health robber…a dark cloud that hides the sunshine in our lives.

When our children were small, we would have been totally offended if they had kept coming to us and saying, “Are you sure you love us? Are you really going to take care of us? Will you really be here when we wake up in the morning?”

I wonder how God feels when we stew and fret and waver around in doubt and unbelief?”

So let’s break the worry habit. Memorize: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Let this verse be in your heart: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3). You will have restful sleep again…and the “Gospil” is the best sleeping pill there is.

Worrying is an offense to God. Guess what? God doesn’t need our help.

Looking back over my life, I can truthfully say that even in the hardest of places, God never left me. He is faithful and true to His Word.

God is still in control. We live by faith and faith moves God. There are conflicts in this life and if we dwell on them we slip into despair and are blinded by the beauty and real blessings.

God never forsakes those who trust in Him.

The next time you hear disturbing news just remember,

“God is still in control.”

Joan Clayton is a retired teacher, writer and religion columnist living in Portales. E-mail her at [email protected]