Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Worry, Waiting, Wondering...

I have always struggled with worry. In fact, I am from a long line of worriers. I have gotten much better as I have learned to trust God. But sometimes I need to be reminded to not let my life become weighted down with worry. Maybe some of you need this reminder today as well.

For me one of my life changing quotes in regard to worry was quoted by Nicky Gumbel in the the follow-up to the Alpha course called "A Life Worth Living." It is a study of the book of Philippians.

"Sir Winston Churchill said, "When I look back on all these worries I remember the story of the old man who said on his death bed that he had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which never happened.""

When we worry we make trouble for ourselves when in fact the situation we are worrying over may never happen.

The second quote is based on the amplified Bible translation of 1 Peter 5:6-7:

"Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you,

Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares for you watchfully.


The quote is from Joyce Meyer in "Battlefield of the Mind." She wrote,

"This passage lets us know that to humble ourselves is not to worry. A person who worries still thinks that in some way he can solve his own problem. Worry is the mind racing around trying to find a solution to its situation. The proud man is full of himself, while the humble man is full of God. The proud man worries; the humble man waits."

Ouch! I had never connected worry with pride before reading this. Worry is me trying to find my own solution and control my situation. There are some situations we do have control over; infertility is not one of them.

Joyce goes on to say that our position should be one of abiding in Jesus and entering the rest of God. "It is one of waiting on the Lord continually with our eyes focused on Him...."

Waiting. I think that is what I am struggling with today. Feeling left behind. Wondering how long?

"How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?" Psalm 13:1-2

4 comments:

A said...

I have never connected worry with pride either, but reading your post, it is now crystal clear!!! I love this reflection- I definitely it will encourage me to (try to) not worry so much!!

Lisa said...

Sigh...it is so hard not to worry! I really like the connection between worry and pride and couldn't agree more. We really have so little control over almost everything infertility (and adoption) related. We really shouldn't be worrying over it because it does us no good...it's not productive and we are really showing that we don't believe that the Lord is in control.

Alicia said...

Oh how my heart goes out to you durring your worry, waiting, and wondering. Don't feel left behind. The Lord is with you every step forward and backward you will be filled with so much joy when this chapter is all over with. Praying :)

Stacey said...

I struggle with worry, too, and definitely needed to read this today.

Praying for you, Becky. I know that waiting and wondering are not easy things to do. Sometimes I think it would be great to just know what will happen, but then I know I wouldn't have to trust the Lord as much! Praying you'll see Him at work each day.