This past weekend, I was faced with decisions concerning my life, the church , and the members and had to get into a quiet place. must say that it was not easy and I could have only made the decisions with the help of God's counsel and his word.
I have had some decisions in life that I literally agonized over. I’m talking blood, sweat, and tears. I prayed, meditated, sought advice and counsel, read books and scriptures, wrote out pros and cons, slept on it, and tossed it over and over in my mind.
And while some of those previous components are healthy and biblical, there is one component of decision-making that I’m guilty of but didn’t have to be: that’s worry.
I worried over the decisions that I was making. Sure when the stakes are high and involve major adjustments in lifestyle or critical components that involve the life of others, no one wants to make the wrong decision. God wants us to make the right decisions more than we do. He even desires for us to come to Him for direction in those decisions. But more importantly, He doesn’t want us to worry over making the decision. Have you ever stopped to think, “What does worrying solve?”
Norman Vincent Peale writes, “The word ‘worry’ is derived from an old Anglo-Saxon word meaning to strangle or to choke. How well-named the emotion it has been demonstrated again and again in persons who have lost their effectiveness due to the stultifying effect of anxiety and apprehension.”
Worry literally chokes our ability to excel, succeed, progress, grow and even think clearly. Worry becomes the primary vehicle that releases fear and other negative emotions in your life. It (worry) forces you to only consider the negative and the most limiting option. I have even learned that worry many times causes you to meditate on things that may not even be true.
Even the physical effects of worry are real. At a British clinic an examination of 500 patients confirmed that more than one-third of their visual problems were caused by emotional tension. Dr. Leonard S. Fosdick of Northwestern University has proven conclusively that worry restricts the flow of saliva. Then, because natural mouth acids are not properly neutralized, tooth decay occurs. A survey of about 5,000 students in 21 different colleges confirms that worriers get the lowest grades. Worry is simply not worth it!
James 1: 5-7 (Message) says, “If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. Don't think you're going to get anything from the Master that way…”
Wow. I wish I had learned this truth a few years ago. It would have saved me some stressful moments, times of second-guessing, and misunderstood directions. I would have been able have confidence in God’s ability to direct me after I asked Him rather than in my ability to rationalize the right choice. I have learned my lesson. Yes, I must always consider the facts and weigh my options, but worry doesn’t have to be a part of the process. Join me today in kicking worry out of the process!
It is His will that I should cast
My care on Him each day;
He also bids me not to cast
My confidence away.
But oh! how foolishly I act
When taken unaware,
I cast away my confidence
And carry all my care!
—James Seward
Scripture Of The Day: “Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. Don't think you're going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open." - James 1:6-8 (MSG)
