What are you worried about?

     Have you ever tried to fill a bucket full of holes with water? How did that work for you? It doesn't matter how little or how much water you pour in the bucket it is still going to leak. What would you call a person who kept pouring water into it? What if they did so almost every day of their life? How would react when they complained to you their bucket never gets full? Would you be compassionate and show them how their bucket will never be filled because of the holes? Would you be helpful and help them patch the holes or help them get a new bucket? Would you be mean and tell them they are not putting enough water in the bucket? Would you be insensitive and tell them they are a fool for trying?
     The truth is we all know people who are trying to fill their hole filled bucket with water. The even greater truth is that we all at times have done it and some of us continue to do it  every day. I don't mean we are physically holding the bucket full of holes and trying to fill it up with water but we are doing something that makes just as much sense. We are worrying. No, not about filling the bucket with water but about everything else. Worrying does about as much good as trying to fill the bucket with holes with water. Again if we are honest have we ever worried enough to change a situation? Have we ever worried something into going out way? Now we can have compassion in a situation or for a person. If we act as Jesus we will find that compassion always moved Him into action not into worrying. He feed the 5000 when His compassion moved Him because He seen they were hungry. That was just one time. Dig into the scriptures to find out how many times He was moved by compassion because that is another blog for another day.
    There are two quotes about worrying that I truly love. The first is by Alfred E. Neuman from MAD Magazine. His quote is, "What me worry?" According to madmagazine.com the quote was supposed to help give us the image of a young man without a worry in the world. To me it has been a simple reminder not to worry. If I put my total trust in God and I give Him all of my needs then why should I worry? The scriptures tell me that He knows my needs even before I ask. The scriptures tell me that He will provide for my needs out of His riches and His glory not my lack of riches and glory. So if I am in need, I should take it to Him. Then I can say, "What me worry? Nah, God's got this."
     The second quote that I am very found of comes for a much different person, Corrie Ten Boom. Most of us have heard of her and the way her family helped hide Jews from the Nazi army. Most of us have read her quotes about her faith and God. The one that speaks to me the most is, "Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows; it empties today of its strengths." It reminds me that worrying doesn't change the future, it changes today. It changes today because it robs you of joy and peace. It weakens your body, hurts your head, occupies your mind and allows Satan to have victories in your life. Instead we should give our worries to God and allow Him to take care of them so that He has victories in our life.
   
Just so you don't worry about it being alright not to worry let me give you a scripture that will take your worry away.

                          Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus
Phil 4:6-7 (HCSB)

See God doesn't want us to worry. He wants us to take our worries to Him in exchange for His peace. Who doesn't want to make that trade? Now is this an easy lesson that you can learn and apply over lunch? No, this is one of those life long lessons that will only be learned by application. The more you apply it the more you will learn it. In other words, the more you turn your worries over to God the less you will worry. So, what are you worried about?


Parting Thought: If plan A doesn't work, don't worry there are still 25 letters left.

Comments

  1. Debbie SelfJanuary 4, 2016 at 2:44 PM

    Thank you, Ashley, for this very reassuring message. This is something I really need to work on.

    ReplyDelete

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