Worrier to Warrior

 

I’m not proud of it.  I am improving but haven’t arrived at the desired place.  I’m sure I have plenty of other things to do yet I still go there.  I worry!  It used to be my number one past time.  If there was a situation placed in front of me, I would take the opportunity to find how I could worry about it!   As with any of us, we have many situations placed in front of us so, well, you get the picture.  It’s not just the big things I worry about, but it is the little daily things that I worry about.  My best time to worry?  At night when I can’t sleep.  Did I set my alarm early enough to ensure I’m at work to make that meeting in the morning?  Did I remember to pull out the ground beef from the freezer for dinner tomorrow night?  These are simple questions but then I continue to spin them in my head repeatedly, creating a ping in my heart of worry.

We don’t know what the future holds, and worry can become an overwhelming part of our lives.  Worry can weigh on our hearts and our minds.  I spoke of the little things above but then there are the very large situations that can overcome us with worry.  We can worry about the health (physical and spiritual) of our children.  We can worry about our relationship with spouses.  We can worry about the health of family members.  We can worry about job security.  We can worry about our own health.  This is where I took a nosedive and where God rescued me.

It was 24 years ago this past week that I was diagnosed with cancer.  Yes, that brought about a fair share of worry in my life – and for a worrier – it consumed me.  With God’s grace and many wonderful doctors, nurses, family, and friends, I made it through that year.  One would think, “Yea, thumbs up.”  For me, that was the beginning of worry.  I have, and continue, to do all the things to try and ensure it won’t come back but as we all know way too often, stuff happens. 

Entering the picture is the One, the only One, who can turn me from a worrier to a warrior.  Our Dear Lord.  He has provided for me, for us, the opportunity to turn our worry over to Him.  He ASKS us to stop worrying and let Him handle things.  Today in our verse, He tells us to not worry about tomorrow.  He has provided for each of us our todays, tomorrows, and our eternal future with Him.  That is all we need to know.  With that in mind, our days can be lighter, and our worries can be lighter.  The heaviness can be gone.  He says, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest,” Matthew 11:28.  The good news is He means it!

Move from being a worrier to a warrior in Christ.  Let yourself and others know that your worry can be light because we have a God who takes care of us.  Our job is to TRUST Him.  Trusting God should be easy!  How many times have you given things to God, only to take them back and begin worrying about them.  When we become a warrior for Christ, and put Him front and center, we are constantly reminded of His power, His grace, His mercy, and His love!  We don’t have time to worry because we are too busy focusing on His greatness and all that He has given us.  When I stopped worrying about cancer coming back, I began to live in the moment I was given.  Those moments have added up to many years that can only be given to me through the grace of God.  Stop being the worrier of tomorrow – be the warrior of today!

Dearest Jesus, we thank you for taking our worry from us.  Help us to release it and to trust you solely to take care of our situations.  Guide us to answers and peace.  Amen.