How often have you uttered and heard the phrase – “Don’t Worry.” Hearing those words seldom brings comfort, and in fact can bring anxiety. Saying those words are usually accompanied with the thought – “You need to worry.” There are also a thousand offshoots of the phrase. Jesus told us not to be anxious, you can’t get it on higher authority than that. Two funny offshoots come to my mind – Alfred E. Nueman’s, What me worry?, and from the new movie Exotic Marigold Hotel – “Everything works out in the end, and if it hasn’t worked out, it must not be the end.”
Truth is we do worry, we are anxious, and we are afraid as we “walk through the shadow.” Yet, we have all taken that walk, many more than once. It is in that shadow, amongst our worries, that we receive a gift. It is when we feel most strongly the presence of God. As we see others “walk in the shadow” we also receive a gift. Other’s walks teach us compassion, bring home the importance of love, and show us how much power we have to help others.
We may try not to worry, we may counsel not to worry and fail miserably at both. Where we will not fail is in yielding to continued grief and discouragement. We will take the walk and receive God’s gifts.
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