Worthless Worries

Some people are big talkers, others thinkers. I can appreciate both personality types because I find myself to fall somewhere in the middle of that spectrum. Some days I pick up my cell phone and call a random assortment of family or friends just because I simply want to talk. My brother teases me that I must be really bored when I tell him I called simply to say hi. I'm sure you identify, though, with the comfort it brings to hear the voice of a loved one on the phone, especially when you simply want to share with someone who really gets you.

I find myself on other occasions sitting back and thinking...thinking about the activities of my day, the conversations I had with others, and the list of events, meetings, and responsibilities scattered across my calendar or listed neatly on my to-do list. It all seems fine and dandy until I mull it over in my mind, think about it some more, pile some more thoughts on top, and soon worry starts to set up house. I'll be the first to admit that I'm a type A personality and top notch worrier. These are not such bad qualities considering that they keep me on my toes and push me to excel. Yet more often than not, I find that I had been uptight about a situation that worked out smoothly or a worrisome possible outcome that never even came to fruition.

It doesn't take someone reminding me that worrying too much is worthless. I recognize that no matter how much I might stress about something, it will not change the situation for the better or worse. What, then, is the more productive response? For this answer, I direct your attention to a well known and often quoted verse:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4: 5-7

Such a gentle reminder that instead of trying to take the reins and make sure everything works out just so, I only need lay my concerns in the hands of the One who rules all flawlessly. What wonders a conversation with my Savior can do. Yes, I'll choose His peace over my worthless worries any day.

I also think back to a piece of advice I heard on my very first day as a freshman at college. After launching into a somewhat predictable speech about the effect that the next four years would have on our lives, the legacy of scholars that we followed, and the hard work that would be expected of us, the speaker told a story that has stuck with me ever since. He offered that during our time as students, we would face tasks and challenges that were overwhelming and perhaps seemingly unachievable. (Sounds a lot like that worrying I was talking about...) These times, he said, are like trying to eat an elephant. An elephant? He went on to explain that life offers enormous challenges that we can compare to trying to eat this gigantic and tough creature. Although we can't eat an elephant all at once, he suggested that the key to accomplishing this task is simply to take one bite at a time. You can't do it all at one, but little by little and step by step, its quite feasible. The same can be said for the obstacles, challenges, and situations we face in life that can easily lead to stress. Worry won't take care of that elephant, but by focusing on just one bite at a time, situations seem much more manageable. I've been eating one bite at a time ever since. As for worthless worries, I hope that we can all work on turning those over to God one step at a time as well.

A Little Introduction

Welcome to my blog and my first post! You may be wondering, why write on here for others to read? Well, ever since I was little I've had a fascination with books, writing, and the work of an author. Granted, posting on a blog doesn't quite qualify me to call myself much of a writer. However, since I enjoy reading the blog posts of some of my good college friends like Ali and Katie (thanks for the inspiration, girls), I have decided to begin writing my own. You may wonder what to expect from this blog. I haven't jumped on board with all of those out there who write to tell about the activities of their lives; I do plan, though, to post every once in a while on various topics that I feel are worth pondering and sharing. I hope that every now and then it might inspire you, offer you something to think about, and if I'm lucky, maybe just touch your heart as well. Enjoy!