Confession of a Worrier

I am a worry wart.  I worry about everything.

It's a family tradition in my family.  I learned the well-honed craft of worrying for a long-line of proud worriers in my family.  The gift was passed down generation after generation and now I exercise that gift.

I worry about my wife while she teaches in school.  I worry about my daughter while she's in school and my son in daycare. If someone is late, even by five minutes, my mind starts to wander to worry about their possible fate.  I can worry with the best of them.

But God does not call me to worry.  He calls me to trust.  In that aspect, I fail daily and must repent and seek his forgiveness.

In Matthew 6:25-33, Jesus gives illustrations of birds and flowers to show his followers that worrying doesn't do you any good.  Birds don't worry and they've not gone extinct.  Flowers don't worry, yet every spring, they shoot up and display their beauty for all to see.  Instead, Jesus tells us to seek after him and his kingdom. 

Jesus is saying "don't sweat the small stuff."  He asks us to trust him.  Trust him to provide for our needs.  Trust him to take care of us.  Our job isn't to worry about our well-being.  Our job is to follow him and his commands.  Our job is to focus on Christ so we don't miss out on his leading and instructions.

We get distracted all the time with the minutia of life.  We get focused on the big game or vacation or school work or even more serious issues like domestic altercations, problems with our boyfriends and girlfriends, or even struggles in school or at work.  Those things are important, but they're not the most important thing.

Jesus tells us to focus on him and as we grow closer to Christ, these things will work out in our lives.  It may not always be a happy ending, but if we're focused on Jesus, then it will serve his purpose and his plan.  His plan is where we want to be.

Do you trust God or do you worry?  I'm a repenting worrier.  I need to trust God more.  How about you?

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