Think a minute…A woman worried for 40 years that she would die of cancer. She never got cancer and eventually died of old age. She wasted more than half of her life worrying about something that never happened. Furthermore, all her worrying stole much of her peace of mind and happiness. Today we will continue our strategy for winning over worry.
One thing we must do is to simply “let humans be human.” In case you haven’t noticed, absolutely no one is perfect—including you. So, simply accept the fact that every day people around you are going to make mistakes and be less than perfect. After all, they have to do the same with you.
You cannot fight the facts of life. Each and every day something will not go your way. As my grandmother used to say: “Who said life’s fair!” Because it’s not! “Bad things happen to good people.” We must learn to gracefully handle life’s unfair treatment and circumstances. Go with the flow of life, like a river keeps flowing over and around the obstacles in its way.
Sometimes you may have to pay more than your fair share of something. Just do it generously and move on. After all, your relationships are much more important than a little money. Assume that you will probably get cheated in life about 10% of the time, and that you may lose about 10% of your possessions. Remember, they are just “things” that get old, rusty, broken, and wear out anyway. Furthermore, you cannot take them with you when you leave this life.
Just as we need others to give us kindness and grace for our faults and mistakes, we need to give grace to others. Then we will not suffer nearly as much tension, stress, and worry. Instead, we will have deeper happiness and peace with other people.
“Worry does not take away tomorrow’s problems. It only takes away today’s strength.” Winning over worry is an “inside job”. The battle is inside your mind and heart. Jesus said: “Who can add a single hour to his life by worrying! Each day has enough trouble of its own, so live one day at a time.”
Jesus promises that if you do your best, He will take care of the rest. If you put your life in His hands, you will have nothing left to worry about, since everything that is out of your control will be in His control. It’s an amazing deal and exchange! Remember, if you can trust God to manage the universe, you can trust Him to manage your own personal world. Won’t you ask Him to take charge of your heart and life, including its pressures and problems? Then He can give you His inner peace and power to win over worry—no matter what you’re facing and feeling. Just think a minute…