I once knew a woman who said she “spent half her time doing things, and the other half worried about what she’d done.” To worry or regret what is past and gone is time worse than wasted, for it does not change anything. Nothing drains the life energies more than this mental torture. This is true of every form of worry or anxiety about the past or the future, it can literally destroy mind and body. It also poisons the atmosphere for everyone around us.
Yet, if you are like me, worry and anxiety are always just outside my door yelling, “Let me in.” I know Jesus admonished us to “not be anxious,” but I find this admonition to be easier said than done. I have to come to understand that my worries are a lack of faith – faith in myself and faith in God. So I modify my prayers these days. As opposed to asking that I be free from worrying about the past and anxiety about the future, I ask that my faith in myself and more importantly in God be increased. Can’t say I’m there yet, but I’m working on it.
Leave a Reply +