I did it last night. I wasted time that I can never get back. I replaced rest with restlessness, and the sweet serenity of sleep with tumultuous tossing and turning. When I should have been folded into the comforting arms of pleasant slumber, I was instead wrestling a discomforting demon from within my own mind. “What if this happens tomorrow, what will I do?” “What if this doesn’t happen tomorrow, what will I do?” “Why can’t I just come up with a plan, why can’t I know what to do tomorrow, if…”
Questions of this sort slammed their way through the crevices of my mind. I tossed and turned and, I might as well say it, I worried. Worry overcame my thoughts, and drove the sleep far from me. Worry took the hours and twisted them from peaceful serenity to tortured agony. The saddest part is that, as is so often the case, I spent the night worrying about “what if” and “what if” never happened. Why would I ever let worry do that to me? I think I know.
- Worry makes you forget that there is One Who is higher than you. You are only thinking about “How can I solve this” and you forget to take those matters about which you worry to God.
- Worry makes your mind dwell on the negatives and the problems, not upon the wonderful blessings and joy that actually fills your life. More often than not, worry is over what might be, or could be and what actually never comes to be.
- Worry distorts the item about which you worry, and makes it rule your life, at least as long as worry does.
- Worry devours the peace that should actually reign in our hearts and minds.
- Worry keeps us from practicing what we should, those things that are given to us by Scripture to learn and to do. You know, I guess, the apostle Paul has already said all of this in Philippians 4:6-9.
Do not be anxious 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. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me — practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
The old Jamaican song said, “Don’t worry, be happy!” With my apologies to the writer of that song, I must say for us as Christians it is “Don’t worry. Look to the Lord.” The answer for worry is really very simple, but way too often, oh so hard. Let us strive to make sure that we are not allowing our time to be wasted by this ungrateful bandit known as worry.
