Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Worry From A New Perspective

I'm happy that October is here. October is a cozy, comforting, month, and something that I'm trying to do this October (in general, really, but let's keep the goal small for now) is to worry less. 

I know that worry is pointless but at the same time it's so difficult to dismiss. When your brain is programmed for worry, trying to do the opposite when something is on your mind takes superhuman-like effort. It's a feeling that doesn't want to leave you alone.

I have gotten (a little bit) better at not worrying and one of the things that has helped is thinking honestly about what worry is from God's perspective. And it isn't pretty. Worry is rejection of His plan for me. Worry is sinful. Worry is a form of unbelief. Worry is the opposite of faith.

When I notice myself worrying and especially when that worry begins slipping into fear and mistrust, I start to feel guilty. I can just imagine God looking down at me with a mixture of sadness and love and saying, Don't you know that I am intimately aware of every hair on your head, every thought in your brain, every ounce of your existence from beginning to end? Don't you want to be a part of My plan for you? I promise, it's more beautiful than you know. Trust Me.

I'm only human and even this most comforting and calming perspective doesn't always keep me from worrying. But it helps, and I think October, with its warm cups of tea and wooly blankets and crisp, misty mornings will help too. 

4 comments:

  1. We were just talking about worry in my small group last night. Worrying just seems to come so easy, but I always try to remember Matthew 6:25-27: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry
    about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what
    you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than
    clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"

    ReplyDelete
  2. nice thought, kristin w/milk & sugar...

    ReplyDelete
  3. You are such a wonderful writer, Kate. This is just beautiful, and something I need to remember. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is lovely and deep. As beautiful, true, and real as the gorgeous but melancholy photo you illustrate it with. You're really describing nature—our human nature—which can be so fraught and frail, but also so wondrous when we try to master our weaknesses and flaws and aspire to a purer and higher example. Thanks for writing.

    ReplyDelete

Your comments bring me joy! I do my best to respond to each one either on the blog or via email (if your email is linked to your comment). Thank you for visiting Something Ivory.

Designed by Jackie's Design Studio