October 13, 2014 (Monday)
An old song asks, “What’s the use of worrying?” and then exclaims, “It never was worthwhile!.” Do you often worry? I’ll admit there seems to be plenty of things to worry about in 2014, but would you like to stop worrying so much? OK, here are a few suggestions:
1. Realize that worry is a habit–a bad one–and any habit can be broken.
2. Realize that worry is a sin. That makes it a serious matter between you and God. Why is it a sin? Because it doubts God’s wisdom and His power to help you.
3. Stop thinking so much about past mistakes. Learn from them and keep going in the right direction now.
4. Overlook some things. No matter how badly you may have been hurt, you can train yourself to shrug off mistreatment like a duck shakes off water.
5. Recite Scripture verses, aloud or mentally, to yourself. For instance, Psalm 23.
6. Empty your mind of worry thoughts, in the same way you take out the trash from your house.
7. Pray about everything with thanksgiving.
8. Allow God to fill you with courage, strength, peace and assurance. Stop resisting His work in you.
9. Trust Christ to keep you from worry.
As a child of God through faith in Christ, you have a home in Heaven, so there’s no need to worry about dying. Because Christ enables you daily, there’s no need to worry about living. We need not worry, period. Your mind and heart can have perfect peace, because God can make it so (Isaiah 26:3).
Someone handed me a Walt Disney quotation that I like: “Worry is a waste of the imagination.”