WORRY

By Barbara Chadwick

 

By jax I told Inez tha other day, “What if Gary was ta grow up and go off to war and git killed”  a neighbor of my husband’s family said with his long slow Arkansas drawl in speaking of his four year old son. His colloquialism brings a smile as does his worry.

When I think of some of the things I’ve spent hours worrying about, I also smile.

When we were first married, my husband, Kenneth, worked from 4PM to midnight. One night he came home and found me just bawling. He took me in his arms and asked, “What in the world is wrong?”  I said, hiccupping between sobs, “What if we have children and they have an accident and die?  What if they do something wrong and go to jail?  What if they can’t learn in school?”  All of the possible situations that could possibly come up with children seemed too mind boggling for my mind to consider. And truly it is.

We have assurance throughout the Bible that God cares for us. We read in Isaiah 53:4 – Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.  

Over the years of our marriage I’ve worried about health issues, finances, where God would lead us next, our cars, how our house looked, how our clothes looked! If there is anything that could happen – well, you get the picture.  This is so human but Jesus says,  …do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink or about your body, what you will wear…  Matthew 6:25

One of President Lincoln’s quotes is, “To live continually in fear is to die over and over.”  It does not help us to worry. It does not make us taller or skinnier. It doesn’t make everything in life flow without a hitch. It does not facilitate the answer.

In my devotional book from a previous year I wrote, “When you’ve worried as hard as you can, your eyes hurt from crying, your heart feels like a piece of lead and you feel like you can’t breathe. When your heart aches and your soul feels deserted; when you’ve turned around and around and you feel like you’re spinning from unanswered questions. Turn to Jesus. He gives comfort, peace of mind, grace and love.”  Jesus said, Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God… John 14:1

Paul encourages us in Philippians 4:6, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.