The Wastefulness of Worry

We all do it; at least from time to time. And speaking of time, worry wastes time. Time is a precious asset given in limited portions to each of us. Worry steals that time, consumes it. Worry is wart on our apportioned time. It steals the beauty of life and draws the eye to its ugliness.

But we don't need to worry, and God is out to prove that.

There are so many things that can concern us. Will my flight be cancelled because of this snow? Will my luggage be stolen? Will I get into a car accident? Did I fill out that customs form correctly? Did I choose the right hotel? Question piles upon question. Not that these things never happen. They can. But to worry about them is where the mistake begins. Worry takes a simple question, a concern, and brings it to the forefront of our mind, branding it there for us to see continuously. What an annoyance.

Oh, and how about this one, will I be stuck in the town of Bath, England with no way to get back to my hotel because I can't find my bus? That was my wife and I's concern as we looked at the Saturday bus schedule posted on the terminal wall in Bath, England. According to the schedule, the buses for our route back to the hotel had stopped travelling several hours ago. Talk about igniting stress.

The terminal office had closed at 5:00. It was about 5:30. My mind started scampering. Will we have to get a hotel in Bath? Should we find a police station, could they help us? As I stood there, my mind turning and searching for solutions, my wife started texting with our daughter back in the States. She had blown a tire. My wife talked her through it. Isn't good when you can call someone to help?

Be anxious for nothing ... but with thanksgiving, pray. Talk to God. Ask Him for help. And that's what my wife did, and that's what my wife asked our daughter to do. Within seconds, an unexpected answer came. God was listening.

A woman who had been standing near the terminal we were at looked at us, and noticing our anxiety level, questioned, "You were on the bus that I was on this morning, weren't you?" She had seen us get on the bus stop at our hotel. She was on her way back, same route, past the same stop that would bring us to our hotel. She assured us, and gave us her updated (and correct) bus schedule to look at. After some further conversation, we came to the brilliant conclusion that if we got on the same bus she was getting on, we would end up at our point of origin.

And we did. And none of my questions earlier in this blog required any worrying. It all worked out. 

We all worry, some more than others. Some much more than others. But God wants us to know this, He is capable of handling our worries. So why not, as the bible encourages us to do, throw all of your worries and anxieties and stresses onto Him. He takes them gladly, every single one.