by Doris Gvillo
If I were granted one wish in life, it would probably be that I could overcome the habit of ‘worrying’.
I’ve lived lots of years and I know that worrying is futile and usually accomplishes nothing but make one uneasy and often causes lack of much needed sleep.
I know that I can say my prayers and turn my concerns over to God and should be able to go to sleep, but it seems I turn them over and them ‘grab’ them right back.
It is often the ‘petty’ little things that I am fretting about at two in the morning. I tell myself that there is absolutely nothing I can do at that time of night even if there was a solution to what is troubling me.
And, truthfully, I have come to realize that most of what I worry about doesn’t happen anyway and, if it does, somehow the problem gets resolved one way or another.
Do things always work out as I’d like them to? No!! But, you know what, I keep on going, life moves on and I find myself wondering why I wasted so many anxious hours.
I hope I’m not alone with this problem. I do know that sometimes when what I am facing is really drastic and I turn to God in prayer and ask for help, for guidance, for strength to bear whatever the outcome is, I usually find a sense of peace and comfort.
It is the little insignificant things that I seem to waste time rehashing and wishing I could find an easy solution and put it all behind me. Maybe the problem is I don’t like the solution that is occurring and would allow me to move on.
When one has lived a lot of years, I would think I’d be wiser, more able to see solutions and move on without hashing things over and over. When I do decide something after thinking it over, then it is easy to let the issue go…so why the sleepless nights?
As I so often share with you bits and pieces that I have gleaned through the various books and magazines I get, I’m once again going to share two quotes that offer, I think, great advice to the problem I’ve been discussing.
#1 “Worry clutters up tomorrow’s opportunities with yesterday’s problems.”
That’s true. We do lament decisions we have made, opportunities missed or sometimes unwise choices. But the fact is ‘that is the past’ and we are now facing a new day and since the choice was made, it is time to move on hoping it was wise and learning from our mistake, if it wasn’t.
We waste a lot of time with all of our ‘what ifs’, don’t we? Instead of looking ahead with confidence, hope, and I’d add, faith, we look back. Why? I know we learn from the past, but such knowledge should enable to move ahead with confidence in our abilities and trust in God’s promises. We aren’t all alone, you know.
And that leads me to quote #2 that sums up this whole dilemma. It is “Peace is not the absence of trouble but the presence of God.”
We all face hard decisions and also difficulties that sometimes seem insurmountable…our own illness, illness of a loved one, loss of a loved one, loss of jobs, or maybe loss of other much needed income.
We may have incurred loss through a natural disaster that we never expected. We may simply find our income doesn’t quite stretch the outgo and need to readjust our lifestyle.
Maybe it is a problem resulting from disagreements and words said in haste and anger. Perhaps we have experienced disappointment in a relationship.
We could all make a long, long list of things that concern and often worry us, but I think if we are truly looking for a way to fine ‘peace’ the second quote answers our question.
We aren’t going to have a life without troubles and sorrows. It is what we do and how we ultimately handle these problems that will make the difference in our life.
And, yes, I suggest that ‘the presence of God’ does provide the strength we need and grants us courage and hope to face the future.
God’s promise that He is always with us has calmed my anxious worries many, many times. And, at least for me, He is the one I can always count on to help me bear whatever the burden might be.