Pssst!
Come Here!
Yeah, just a little closer.
Do you see me?
Do I look like a wart?
Just wondering.
Because my family
thinks I'm a worry wart.
And that sure doesn't
sound very attractive.
It brings to mind those
ugly squash/pumpkin/gourd things
that are all bumpy and disfigured
and no one at the orchard
wants them.
But I do believe it is true
that worry makes you ugly.
It ages you prematurely,
causes health problems,
and keeps you from
a fruitful life.
I once heard someone
describe worrying
as "paying interest on a loan
that you may not ever owe".
We are taking away a part of ourselves
for something that is not even visible.
It's stress.
And stress is the
all-consuming invisible man
that steals our happiness.
Personally, stress works it's damage
on me in two distinct ways:
1. I stuff my face with food
2. I don't eat at all
Sadly, number one
has prevailed lately.
But even number 2
is not a healthy way
of dealing with problems.
Most of my worry could be
alleviated by being more organized.
I'd save myself from worrying about
whether this had been paid,
or that had been done,
or if things were scheduled as planned.
Of course, no parent
ever stops worrying about their kids.
But I am trying to teach myself
to relax more where they are concerned.
I can't run their lives for them.
I can't be there every moment.
I've learned that all I can do
is pray-
for their protection and health-
and for their lives to be guided
by Christian principles
and wise decisions
and unselfish motives.
I can remind them-
(as I always do)
to watch out for deer on the road,
be nice, beware the other driver, take some cold medicine, wash the cut well, don't drink and drive, and balance your checkbook.
God has to do the rest.
I read a perfect quote the other day
and I try to recite it every time
I feel that wart start to swell
up and fester into ugliness.
Please copy it and keep it with you.
"Worry does not remove the sorrow of tomorrow.
It removes the joy of today."
Don't worry.
Be happy.
