Worry....NOT!

I just recently started a new job and I have been full of those “first day” jitters for the past week. We all get them when we start out in a new endeavor; but, it is how we handle those “worrisome” feelings that set us apart as children of the most High.

Scripture says in Luke 12: 22 & 25 “Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about you life….and which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

Christ spells it out quite plainly….DO NOT WORRY!!!

But worry is a disease in our country today… so let’s look at its makeup to see why it has such a strangle hold on our people.

First, the word worry comes from a Latin word that means strangle or choke…and that’s exactly what happens when we let worry get the best of us. The hope and promise that is in each new day is lost, or choked out, if we let worry in. We spend our time and energy and strength in worry; then, when we finally get around to tackling the problem, we have little, if anything left to deal with the crisis at hand. We become discouraged, despondent and down right disagreeable …and that’s not the abundant life Jesus has called us to live.

Perhaps that tentmaker Paul summed up how to deal with worry the best in Philippians 4: 4,6-7 which says, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again, I say, REJOICE….do not be anxious (worry) about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Simple, right?

We are to rejoice in the Lord…. not in our circumstances. It’s okay to be bummed out when bad things happen …’cause we all know they will. Our goal is not to dwell on the circumstances, rather to think on the One that controls all and is always greater than what besets us.

When we focus on the Father, then we can make our requests for help and provision known to a loving Father that wants us to rejoice in Him. This spirit of rejoicing helps us to be ever thankful for who He is and what He is accomplishing in and through us. When we see God at work to meet our needs and to carry us through our trials, we can know His peace…a peace that is not known by those who do not know Him. It is his peace that will protect our hearts and minds and keep us from a life of worry and regret…..and regret, well, that’s a topic for another day.

I guess that’s why our Australian friends from “down under” seem to have the right stuff going for them and their country. They’ve made popular a simple phrase that is a mainstay of their culture and one that would serve us well here in America….”NO WORRIES, MATE!”

But we can do them one better….Though we may not know what the future holds …we, as believers in Christ…..WE KNOW WHO HOLDS THE FUTURE.

If you’ve made WORRY a side kick of yours, I encourage you to follow the words of that great theologian, Alfred E. Newman, of MAD magazine fame who said, and I quote,

WHAT!!!! ME WORRY?

If you’ve got something going on in your life that might cause you worry, simply do this…..TURN IT OVER TO GOD and get a good night’s rest. He’s going to be up all night anyway, so there’s no reason for both of you to lose a good night’s sleep. Then, when you wake refreshed in the morning, you can pick it up again….if you feel you must.

I’m trusting that you’ll just leave it in His capable hands for your new motto will be ….

WHAT!!!! ME WORRY?


Worry free …rejoicing more,
WPQ