A SUNDAY THOUGHT

I'm a worrier.

Not because I've had a life of sadness and despair--my life has been anything but. I've been lucky to have the best parents who are still very much a part of my life and wonderful in-laws. I have a loving husband and happy, healthy kids who are turning into to well-adjusted, successful adults.

Don't get me wrong--I've known sorrow and I've known pain, and one day "when I can find the time to write my mind like I want it to read", I'll tell you about it. But in general, I've had an ordinary, normal life.

So why do I worry so much about the "what ifs?"

As I've gotten older, I find myself worried about all the things that might go wrong with my health; I think every pain is related to some undetected cancer. Every time my heart races, I expect to wind up in an ambulance having a heart attack. And what if something happens to my husband? Who will help me with my technology questions or see movies with me or help me find my keys when my memory starts to slip?

We worry ourselves sick about our kids from the minute they take their first breath. I used to think once they were grown, all the worrying would just come to a halt. Hate to tell you, faithful blog reader, the worries just change. You have an entire new set of worries when they are older.

What if they flunk out of college? What if they don't get jobs? What if they marry the wrong person? What if they make bad financial decisions? The list goes on and on.

All that makes me wonder what's wrong with me. I know who holds the future.

But, alas, I'm human.

That's all it can be. I don't think it means my faith is weak, as some would probably say. It just means this world is a crazy place and sometimes it can shake our faith. Because let's face it--we want to control it all, and we just can't. And what we can't control, stresses us out!

I'd never really stopped to consider the cause of all that worrying, why it came to be in the first place, but then this book, Anxious for Nothing by Max Lucado, kept showing up in my Instagram feed as part of an advertisement.

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I decided there might be a reason the ad wouldn't leave me alone, so I bought it. I'm about half way through it, and it's been enlightening. Lots to think about and really good reminders that we are not in this chaos alone. 

If you worry like me, you might find this book helpful as well. 

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 

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 4:6-7

I hope today is a good day!

Kathryn