Thursday, April 12, 2007
Worries, worries, worries
I'm worried about _____. I am afraid that _____. What would happen if _____? How do you fill in the blanks? It is a bit comical when we start mentioning things that really worry us. Some are very serious, and other are not. Some are real; some will probably never happen. One friend told me that she worries about people breaking into their home at night and hurting her children. Funny. That never crossed my mind as something to bring worry. Maybe I should - as teens, Troy and I both experienced people sneaking into our homes. Other friends worry about bodily harm being done to family members. Not me, but I do worry about one of us picking up a stomach bug! Some face anxiety about what others think of them, their homes, their talents, etc. Some fear the physical, some are terrified of nature, and more are frightened by the spiritual. How is this helping us??!! The crippling fact is that it's not! I have been pondering these thoughts as I browsed through:
For today, I want to share a few thoughts from the pages and hope you will find encouragement in these lines. . .
"An anxious heart weighs a man down," Proverbs 12:25 tells us. And yet the heavy burden of anxiety offers no real benefits. Jesus. . .reminded us, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (Matthew 6:27)
It's been said that worry is like a rocking chair - it gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere. One interesting set of statistics indicates there is nothing we can do about
70 percent of our worries:
What we worry about
40% are things that will never happen.
30% are about the past - which can't be changed.
12% are about criticism by others, mostly untrue.
10% are about health, which gets worse with stress.
8% are about real problems that can be solved.
When it comes down to it, worry is really a waste of time. But it's almost more than that. Worry is not only futile. It's actually bad for us. . . .researchers have established connections between chronic worry and weakened immune systems, cardiovascular disease, neurological imbalances, clinical depression, and other physical and psychological dysfunctions - not to mention specific anxiety-related illnesses such as panic attacks, agoraphobia, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
All that from worry. No wonder Jesus warned Martha about her anxiety. No wonder the Bible tells us more than 350 times to "fear not."
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8 Comments:
Very good- I think we could all use this at times. My dad has repeated a quote from a black lady many times, "If you're stewin' and frettin',you're not prayin' and trustin'!!"
I love that quote, Jana!
Wow! Your post was a needed reminder for me. I've been rather calm over the past 6 years of Aaron's life over many issues. This week has been a stressful one. I have peace that I canceled his tests, and know it was the right thing to do. I've been dreading them, and know he will still have to be tortured by them in the near future. I also know that he is a child of God and has a purpose, in the condition he is in. As we've discussed before, there is ALWAYS something much worse than what we face.
As far as any other fears, I have an adversion to driving on the highway with a semi on one side and a concrete wall on the other!
Martha, I'm worried about you.......
Sometimes I have to remind myself out loud to stop worrying about the "ifs", the "whens" and the yesterdays. I'll have to get that book.
Hmm...good post. I just attended a ladies' retreat with the name of that book as the theme. I actually bought the book, brought it home, set it aside, and I STILL haven't read it! I think that's gonna have to change. =)
That's a great book!
Aimee,
Page 34 is a real winner! :-)
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