What to do with worries?
July 28, 2013 Leave a comment
“Give your worries to the Lord, and he will care for you. He will never let those who are good be defeated.” Psalm 55:22 ERV
Worry is relative to our status in life. When you are a caveman and know nothing about civilization then most likely you have zero worries. I you live in a third world country where poverty is so desperate, your worries are food, clothing and shelter. If you have cancer or suffered a life threatening illness, your worry is about the question – do you have enough time to spend with your love ones. If you are an astronaut in space, your worries are survival in the unknown world and the reentry. If you are a surgeon, your worries are the wellness of your patient after the hour long surgery. If you are a parent with many children, your worries are the future of your kids. If you are a student, your worries mainly is passing the class. If you are a softworking person (opposite of hardworking), your worry at work is when are you going to be let go.
Yes, we have worries and it is a fact of life. But worries are there to help us attain a better future. When we worry, we start to become creative and inventive. Our minds goes in overdrive and it is amazing what we can do during a time of distress. What we can do in times of trouble are far beyond what we can ever think of.
A few years back, I was in my weekly 40 miles bike ride when two dogs attacked me at mile20 (this is Texas country roads where no one is around to help). I was arrogant and had too much confidence and thought I could outrun the two vicious dogs. Well, my 20 mph sprint was not good enough and the dogs were successful in their ambush. I crashed hard at 20mph. My right knee hit the paved road and had a huge open wound about an inch square. I was bleeding all over. My elbow were bruised too. I checked for broken bones and joints and all were accounted functioning. I checked my bike then and that too was ok. The owner of the dogs was scared because it was his fault that the dogs got away from the cage. In Texas, there is a thing called Leash Law where dogs has to be at all times be tied upon a leash. Well, this house were out in the countryside and no law enforcement to impose it. The owner offered to take me home but I insisted that I was ok and so I left the accident site on my own with a bleeding body and still 20 miles away from home. I don’t worry too much but that day I underestimated the extent of the damage to my body. The trip home was so agonizing and slow and I began to think the “what ifs”. What if I will pass out in the middle of the road? What if I will bleed to death? What if I can’t pedal anymore? What if I did really have a serious injury and I just did not know it? Too many what ifs but in the end, I was able to reach home just fine. Moral of the story is, when we are placed in a very difficult situation, as normal human beings, we feel worried and anxious that sometimes it can cripple us to reach our destiny. I know that I could have just get a ride home with the guy or maybe called home for help but I did not. Looking back now, that event taught me a great lesson regarding human survival. We worry when a certain event does not go in our way but if we drive on, pushes ourselves outside our comfort zones, we can achieve the impossible.
I know that your worries probably are far greater that I can ever imagined. You have the right to be worried but don’t let that stop you or cripple you to keep going. Worry or concerns are there for a purpose and to forget and disregard of its meaning is foolish. But excessive worry cripples us to our knees. Putting too much emphasis on our worries can drives us to insanity(sometimes).
What to do with worries?
1. Read the first line at the beginning of this entry.
2. Do something about your worries:
If you worry about your health, go to the doctor and get a check up or start an exercise program.
If you are worried about your job security, do your best every moment when you are at work.
If you are new to a workplace, write down what are the things that you need to learn.
If you worry about your relationship, be the first one to show love and compassion.
If you worry about the things that you cannot change, flip to the next page in your life and don’t dwell in the things that you have no control of.
If you are worried about your future, think of it as “the future”, you are not there yet. Enjoy the excitement of what is happening today even if it is not that good.
3. Familiarize yourself with the book “How to stop worrying and start living” by Carnegie, He already wrote a lot of pointers about worry. See my notes here.
Do not worry… Pray.
See it at YouVersion.com: