“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also." John 14:1-3
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of having lunch with an old friend, protégé and now, preacher. We laughed and talked about many things but when the conversation turned to travel, he began to speak of his fear of extended plane trips and traveling over large bodies of water. We also talked about health and I noticed how he began to speculate about the worst case scenario of an impending visit to his physician. Of course he had 2 Tim 1:7 firmly placed in his mind but his anxiety was nonetheless present and visible.
Most assuredly, we can all identify with experiencing fear, worry and anxiety. It is an unfortunate byproduct of being wrapped in flesh. Our minds are designed to look for and recognize patterns, particularly those that impact our safety, security and well being. Our past experiences are recorded in memory and when we recognize the pattern of a previous event, we bring forward the emotions associated with the it, whether good or bad, but particularly those we deem to be a threat. For this reason, we need coping mechanisms.
Beloved, even Jesus experienced emotions like these. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus famously wept, and due to his trepidation about the trial and crucifixion he would soon endure, he, "being in agony prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground," Luke 22:44. Even his friends failed him in this, the time of his greatest need and fear. Notice; however, that he gathered himself, evidently embracing who he was, whose he was and what his mission was. He then proceeded and fulfilled his ministry and all prophecy. Ultimately, he knew that once he endured all he was facing, he would go home to the Father and be glorified, John 17:1-5.
One of my favorite passages in all of the Bible is John 14:1-3. Therein lies a promise that I believe, that is inspiration for all I do and is an amazing deterrent to the fear, worry and anxiety I sometimes face. My coping mechanism is to "bottom line" things. What this means is, that in view of that Scripture, I know that I am going to one day go home and experience the glory of the Father, see my savior at His right hand and take my place in a dwelling place reserved just for me, regardless of anything that may happen to me or affect my life. I cannot tell you how much peace this gives me or how much it allows me to navigate through both the best and worst of times in an even and grounded manner. In times of fear and worry, consider 1 John 4:16-18. In times of fear and worry, consider Jesus.
Increasing in faith,
Lee
Showing posts with label Worry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Worry. Show all posts
Friday, January 10, 2020
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
About Worrying-12/27/2011
"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matt 6:34
There was a woman once whose son came home with the type of news no proud parent wants to hear. He had received a one day suspension from school for horseplay. It seems that he caused a young lady to fall and hit her head. Unfortunately this required stitches.
As you can imagine, the mother went into full frantic mode. "Is the girl alright?" "Is my son in trouble?" "Will the parents sue?" "Will my son be brought up on charges?" Things were made worse by the fact that there was an attempt to phone the mother of the young lady, but the call was neither answered or returned.
To be sure, it is good and right to be concerned about the welfare of another, particularly in an at fault situation. Concern, however, is the immediate neighbor of worry. Worry, in this context, is composed of anxiety. Anxiety my beloved, is like foam; it is derived from something real and tangible but is both useless, temporary and full of air. You see, unlike fear, which can prepare the mind and body for fight or flight, worry simply weighs one down with no benefit. It consumes energy and interrupts the thought process. It derails logic and threatens faith. It accomplishes absolutely nothing. No amount of worrying influences any outcome.
As it turned out, the mother of the young lady eventually called. She said that she was over being upset. She also said she did some checking to see what kind of young man the woman's son is and found the reports to be good. As a result, she felt sure that it was an accident and that everything was OK.
Just like that, the woman's worry, like foam, evaporated, having served no purpose and accomplishing no good. It had only caused discomfort and exasperation...and then was gone. Jesus asks, "And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span? "If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters?" Luke 12:25-26. Perhaps a better use of our time in situations like these is prayer.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
There was a woman once whose son came home with the type of news no proud parent wants to hear. He had received a one day suspension from school for horseplay. It seems that he caused a young lady to fall and hit her head. Unfortunately this required stitches.
As you can imagine, the mother went into full frantic mode. "Is the girl alright?" "Is my son in trouble?" "Will the parents sue?" "Will my son be brought up on charges?" Things were made worse by the fact that there was an attempt to phone the mother of the young lady, but the call was neither answered or returned.
To be sure, it is good and right to be concerned about the welfare of another, particularly in an at fault situation. Concern, however, is the immediate neighbor of worry. Worry, in this context, is composed of anxiety. Anxiety my beloved, is like foam; it is derived from something real and tangible but is both useless, temporary and full of air. You see, unlike fear, which can prepare the mind and body for fight or flight, worry simply weighs one down with no benefit. It consumes energy and interrupts the thought process. It derails logic and threatens faith. It accomplishes absolutely nothing. No amount of worrying influences any outcome.
As it turned out, the mother of the young lady eventually called. She said that she was over being upset. She also said she did some checking to see what kind of young man the woman's son is and found the reports to be good. As a result, she felt sure that it was an accident and that everything was OK.
Just like that, the woman's worry, like foam, evaporated, having served no purpose and accomplishing no good. It had only caused discomfort and exasperation...and then was gone. Jesus asks, "And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span? "If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters?" Luke 12:25-26. Perhaps a better use of our time in situations like these is prayer.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
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