Thursday, February 2, 2012

Stupid worrying...(say stupid harshly for effect)...



Worrying is a great way to fail…just like this cat...although he went in feet first without a worry...he's still stupid.
My Pastor recently said “Worrying is Stupid!” 
Wait just a minute! We have to think about the future and plan ahead and focus on the next things in life. We have to worry about what’s going on and what will come up soon. We have to worry about our needs. We have to worry about the future. We have to…
Or do we?
First of all, I worry. I do. I struggle with over-thinking the details and wondering what’s next. I worry about my personal and family needs. I worry about the needs of our church. I worry about some of our missionaries and their needs. I worry about the next sale in my job. I worry about what I’m going to eat for lunch (this is VERY important to me!). I worry about retirement. I worry about my children and what they will do in life. I worry that I won’t be able to provide for my family. I worry!  Should I?
I just wasted five minutes writing out that paragraph (slow thinker), because all I did is express my fears, concerns and worries about the future. What did I actually do about them? Did I help solve them? Did I train my children so they could manage better in the future? Did I work hard to sell, so a sale would come in? Did I pray for my family needs or the needs of a missionary? Did I do anything that actually helps the worries I have?
We need to focus on the now and what we are supposed to be doing. Worrying only wastes our time, energy and causes stress and more worry. More worry creates more stress and then more worry and the cycle goes on.
If I do now, exactly what I’m supposed to do, the worries often take care of themselves and the result is that I don’t worry about the end, but just focus on the beginning. A marathoner that runs several miles every day, increasing their stamina and focusing on their technique and breathing, will be a better runner than the one that worries about who will win and what their time will be. The mom that diligently focuses on helping and training her children sees the end result being a mature young person or adult. The salesman that focuses on selling actually may see some sales.
We just have to take care of the work, needs, and details of now, and today, and we will be fine. The Lord handles the rest anyway...
Lessons Learned: Stress breeds stress. Worry breeds worry. Success breeds success. Don’t worry...
Thoughts: Do you worry? What are you worrying about today?