Pastoral Pearls: Worry
Worry doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow. Worry empties today of its strength. ~ Corrie Ten Boom
Why do I find this so hard to live out? So if I interpret this correctly, worry is really an insult to God – a lack of faith in him on my part. Kind of human and normal, but darn. That is really not my intention. And if I’m being honest with myself, I’ve seen firsthand that worry doesn’t work… it doesn’t change anything …it doesn’t control anything.
So there it is again, control. My faith tells me to trust God to work things out the way that is best (even if not my way). But instead, I listen to that old insecurity tape that says that I need to control everything (and worry if it’s not going the way I think it should go.) Worry = frustration then – my frustration at not being able to control something. Actually, when I have enough trust in God to wait for his handling of whatever problem I may be dealing with, my own experience tells me that things work out better… good… the way that is actually best for me.
Yep. I do feel that worry takes away my strength. Aren’t we taught that God is our strength? Worry takes away my faith in God, believing instead in a false sense of strength that I only think I am in control. My strength is really doing what I am given the tools to do (by God) and letting God do the rest. I am only strong with God. “With God anything is possible!” I waste too much time and energy trying to make things happen the way I want without inviting God in, and it sucks the strength right out of me, leaving me feel powerless, and (when not trusting God), hopeless. God and I can do anything together, as long as I trust God for the outcome and timing.
So, what makes that so hard for me? My own ego, I guess. It’s so hard to remember that not everything is about me! Maybe God will be able to figure me out. I’m pretty sure he’s the only one with the power to do that. And maybe God can sneak his Holy Spirit into my “worry” to gradually diffuse it so I can see God again and strengthen my trust in him.
Loving God, may you make some sense out of the mess of worry I can sometimes be.
Open my worry up to your Holy Spirit, blow my worry away and replace it with loving trust in God’s handling of all things that tempt me to worry.
Strengthen my faith in you.
~ Amen