Worries overloaded the young doctor.
So, he sought a gypsy for advice.
“What do you see?” fretted the doctor.
“You will be poor and unhappy till age 50.”
“Well,” said the doctor, “what happens after that?”
“After that, you get used to it.”
Worries are bad habits, aren’t they?
They stick around if we let them.
But, three steps banish worries quicker than a windstorm clears leaves.
Most worries are fake
A study from Penn State says 85% of your worries never materialize.
If you don’t believe that, ask Samuel Langhorne Clemens.
“I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.” Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens)
And if you don’t believe Mark Twain, listen to these folks.
“How much pain they have cost us, the evils which have never happened.” Thomas Jefferson
“We are, perhaps, uniquely among the earth’s creatures, the worrying animal. We worry away our lives.” Lewis Thomas
“Grief has limits, whereas apprehension has none. For we grieve only for what we know has happened, but we fear all that possibly may happen.” Pliny the Younger
Don Goewey, author of The End of Stress, Four Steps to Rewire Your Brain, says you can wipe out fake worries with an imaginary button in your hand.
Press it and count to three thinking of each number as a color.
- Breathe in, count 1, think red.
- Breathe in, count 2, think blue.
- Breathe in, count 3, think green.
- On the exhale, completely let go of thinking for a moment.
Goeway argues this will clear worries. The part of your brain causing the stress has the intelligence of a toddler. Toddler tantrums clear when distracted. Treat the two year old in your brain the same way.
I tried it, but it doesn’t have this kind of power . . .
“Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
- Breathe out, present request to God
- Breathe in, receive peace from God
Worship, don’t worry
Whoever says that God isn’t around for worries overlooks his omnipotence.
“You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.” Psalm 139:1-6
If humans can find a person through cell phones and GPS; why, then, wouldn’t the all-powerful Creator know who we are, where we are and what we need?
“You perceive my thoughts from afar.”
- God knows more than your anxious thoughts.
- He knows the reasons for them.
So, here’s a wonderful gift for any worry.
“Every evening I turn my worries over to God. He’s going to be up all night anyway.” Mary C. Crowley
Walk away, don’t worry
Ignoring worries are like ignoring mosquitos.
They grow bigger if you let them.
When your brain gets stuck on bad stuff, let it go.
Three words work for me.
Don’t overthink it.
Perfect lives don’t exist, so do your best and punt.
Don’t overthink it.
Work, don’t worry
One of the wealthiest biblical authors prescribed work over worries.
Solomon, the third king of Israel, had a dream in which God appeared to him with a question . . .
“What would you like me to give you?”
Solomon said, “Give me the wisdom I need to rule your people with justice and to know the difference between good and evil.”
In Ecclesiastes, Solomon shares his lessons about work and worries.
“A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil.” Ecclesiastes 3:13
The king’s advice is not to “be satisfied” in your work, as wonderful as that is, but to “find satisfaction.”
Big difference between these two.
The first is a feeling or emotion, something we cannot control.
But, the second is a choice, find satisfaction.
Choose satisfaction where you are today and shed a ton of worries.
How do you delete worries?
Today’s blog reminds me of David Gibson’s book “Living Life Backward.” It is a study of the Book of Ecclesiastes. Gibson argues that life is “gift” not “gain.” When we understand that, many of our worries disappear.
Great perspective Steve! Thanks for sharing.