Worry…

There is an old Sunday school song that goes through my head whenever I start to really worry…

“Why worry when you can pray?
Trust Jesus, He’ll with you stay.
Don’t be a doubting Thomas,
Rest fully on His promise.
Why worry, worry, worry, worry,
When you can pray!!”

It’s a spontaneous jingle…and it’s true! I catch myself worrying every once in awhile, who doesn’t?? There are times that the worry almost turns into panic. And that is when this song pops into my head. It must be my subconscious reminding me that I have an option. No matter what the worry, I can pray about it. I might not necessarily get an answer right away…but I can let it go. Or sometimes the answer isn’t what we want to hear, but that also is a comfort. It gives guidance to the path we are on. Maybe the fork didn’t go in the direction we wanted, but that doesn’t mean it won’t lead us in His perfect will.

There is a statistic out there that surprised me…only 4% of what we worry about actually happens. What if that’s true? Even if it was a bit more than that, isn’t it still low? Think of all that wasted energy!! The antacids we could stop popping. The insomnia we could get rid of. The time we could save for something more useful, like relationships and enjoying God’s creation. I honestly believe that worrying is the enemy’s biggest tool of destruction in the lives of women. He knows that we are constantly thinking of the next move. He also knows that we are born to be the ones who naturally worry more than men. He uses this method to waste our valuable time and energy. And in the end he has won in many lives. Chronic ulcers and other conditions prevail.

We need to start praying again and letting God take back control of our lives. He knows what is going to happen, and He always prepares us for it. There is a tangible lightness that fills me when I have given it all up to God. I don’t stress about my future anymore. Even worrying about my children’s future doesn’t keep me up at night. He hasn’t promised me an easy life, but He has promised to always be there with me…by my side.

The same promise is there for you….”Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you”…1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)