Living Thru Faith: Don't Worry, Be Happy

Do you remember that song? It became an iconic song of the 1980's.

Hearing it just made you smile, even if just a little bit.

Why do we worry?

Doesn't God tell us not to worry?

We are not to worry, but to trust.

But, it is so much easier to worry, right?

On Sunday, our pastor shared what his father likes to say.

"Worrying is just praying to yourself."

Wow, doesn't that put it into perspective!

We have been trying to discern some things and make some decisions in our family. But making those decisions have been a true struggle. Is this what God is wanting us to do or what we want to do? Do we take a leap of faith, knowing God will catch us or is this just our will and God is not really asking us to take that leap? If we are supposed to leap, when do we take that first step?

My brain hurts from all this thinking.

Can I just take an aspirin and call the doctor in the morning?

In the last week or two, I feel like God has been telling us to trust Him, to take that leap and let Him catch us...but then, I am the spontaneous one. Brian is the cautious one. The one that has always taken longer than I would like to make a decision. The one that stews over big decisions and big purchases to the point that I want to pull my hair out. And the one that has kept us from making big stupid spontaneous mistakes.

But I am the one that wondered what took him so long to figure out he was called to ministry or that he was supposed to go back to school again (heaven help me!). I am the one that has driven around in two different towns and proclaimed "we are going to live here one day" (and then got to say "I told you so!" - twice).

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

~ Philippians 4:6 NIV

Somehow God has used the spontaneous and cautious - the worry and the trust. He has guided us through this journey and amazed us with His provisions. It has not always been easy and has not always been how we thought it was supposed to be, but it has also never been boring!

I think it is when the worry overwhelms to the point that we cannot act in faith that we really get into trouble. We may feel that anxiousness as we try to discern, but if we choose not to act because of that anxiety we miss out on the awesome adventure God has in store.

So, don't worry - pray and trust. Whether you get right or not, He will be there to catch you.