Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Wimberly Worried

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
--Matthew 6:34

Every year I read my class the book Wimberly Worried by Kevin Henkes. It's about a little mouse who worries about EVERYTHING.

I was talking with my friend Tara tonight and listing out my long list of "stressers" (in all reality, my long list of worries) and it just hit me. I worry. A lot. I worry about our adoption. I worry about my friends. I worry about my family. I worry at work. I worry at church. Worry, worry, worry. And it's not like I'm just sitting around thinking about these things--worry sits in my stomach like a ton of bricks. Tara (also a teacher) called me Wimberly. It was kind of a breakthrough for me. I've always teased my mom bout being a worrier. And my Grandma was worried. In fact, my aunt recently said that that was Grandma's way of showing us she loved us--she worried about us. I had never really considered myself a worrier. I've always felt like I tend to have a lot of stress in my life, but I never really realized just how much I worry.
"So, how do I stop worrying?" I asked Tara.
"You trust God."
Trust God. Sounds simple enough. I do that--don't I? I've been chewing on that for the last little while and you know, Tara's right. Worry is a lack of faith and having more faith is something God has been working on my heart about for a long time now. Not faith that everything is going to work out the way I want it to. Not faith that my life will be simple. But faith that He is there with me, knows how many hairs are on my head and my thoughts before I think them--that God, MY God has promised to stand beside me through whatever life brings my way. I remember the pastor at my previous church saying that there are two kinds of people in this world--worriers and warriors. Before this little time of self-reflection tonight, I probably would have said that I don't let my worries or fears stand in the way of serving God--but they do. Because the more I worry, the less I am in tune to what God is telling me.

So my prayer is that I will be a warrior--not a worrier.