At one time, a reporter asked a seventy-five year man what had most robbed him of joy in his life. Without thinking too much, he replied, "Things that never happened."
That brings us to the subject of worry. The word "worry" comes from the Greek word merimnao which is a combination of two words: merizo meaning "to divide" and nous meaning "mind" (including the faculties of perceiving, understanding, feeling, judging, determining).
In simpler terms, worry means "to divide the mind." Worry divides the mind between worthwhile interests and damaging thoughts. As Arthur S. Roche puts it, "Worry is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained."
John Edmund Haggai, author of How to Win Over Worry, wrote: "Worry divides the feelings, therefore the emotions lack stability. Worry divides the understanding therefore convictions are shallow and changeable. Worry divides the faculty of perception therefore observations are faulty and even false. Worry divides the faculty of judging, therefore attitudes and decisions are often unjust. These decisions lead to damage and grief."
There are so many things that worry us. We worry about what the future holds for each of us. There are those who are worried about not meeting the expectations of other people. A few worry about not getting on time in everything then do.
Some of the things that most people worry about include health, business, children, clothes, taxes, debts, food, trips, loans, and mortgages. Grenville Kleiser penned this short but meaningful quote: "They worried, still they worried; they worried, but alas! They worried about a lot of things that did not come to pass."
When I was still in high school, I worried about not paying my tuition fees or else I won’t be able to attend the examination. I also agonized of not doing my assignments, writing my home reading reports, etc.
Some worries are results of past or currents actions. A corrupt politician is worried that his constituents may find out that he cheated during the past election. A philandering husband worries about being caught by his wife. A man with many girlfriends could not sleep well knowing that his conquests may know that they are seeing the same man after all.
Yesterday, I received a text from a friend. His message reads: "Worry destroys our thinking, disrupts our work, destroys our poise, and disfigures our face. So get rid of worry." How true, indeed!
I have a brother who doesn’t want to ride a plane. Despite being assured that riding a plane is the safest thing to do, he is still worried that the plane might not get into its final destination. But he is not afraid to ride a bus or travel in a ship.
Unknowingly, worrying too much may lead a person to death. Dr. Charles Mayo stated, "I’ve never known a man who died of hard work, but many who die of worry." If only doctors could write: "Died of worry."
At one time, a pilgrim met the Plague going to Baghdad. "What are you going to do there?" asked the pilgrim. "I’m to slay 5,000 people," boasted the Plague, with a hideous leer.
The pilgrim shuddered and changed his plans. However, sometime later he encountered a refugee from the stricken city and learned that not 5,000 but 50,000 people had died. Soon after, he met the Plague again, traveling to another city. "You lied," accused the pilgrim. "You said you were going to slay only 5,000 people."
"My friend," explained the Plague as pleasantly as he could. "I did kill only 5,000, and the rest of the 50,000 died from fright." How true indeed, were the words of John Lancaster Spalding, "We are more disturbed by a calamity which threatens us than by one which has befallen us."
Let things come to pass and not worry of the things that may not happen. It’s good to be ready at all times but be sure that you are on top of it. Don’t let worry to control you. "If you treat every situation as a life and death matter," said Dean Smith, "you’ll die a lot of times."
What, then, should we do with all the worries we have in life? Throw them away! An old story tells of an angel who met a man carrying a heavy sack on his back and asked him what was in it? "My worries," the man replied.
"Let me see them," the angel said. When the sack was opened, it was empty. The angel wondered, so he inquired, "Just what are you worried about?"
The man answered, "Just two things: yesterday and tomorrow." Hearing those words, the angel asked, "Why worry about them? Yesterday is gone and too late to worry about. And tomorrow isn’t there yet. So, how can you worry about it?"
And so the angel told the man that he didn’t need to carry the sack anymore. So, the man threw the sack away. John Newton was right when he said, "We can easily manage if we will only take, each day, the burden appointed to it. But the load will be too heavy for us if we carry yesterday’s burden over again today, and then add the burden of tomorrow before we are required to bear it."
But I also like the suggestion of Edith Armstrong. "I keep the telephone of my mind open to peace, harmony, health, love and abundance," she said. "Then, whenever doubt, anxiety or fear tries to call me, they keep getting a busy signal – and soon they’ll forget my number."
"Worry is faith in the negative, trust in the unpleasant, assurance of disaster, and belief in defeat," said William A. Ward. "Worry is a magnet that attracts negative conditions; faith is a more powerful force that creates positive circumstances. Worry is wasting today’s time to clutter up tomorrow’s opportunities with yesterday’s troubles."
That brings us to the subject of worry. The word "worry" comes from the Greek word merimnao which is a combination of two words: merizo meaning "to divide" and nous meaning "mind" (including the faculties of perceiving, understanding, feeling, judging, determining).
In simpler terms, worry means "to divide the mind." Worry divides the mind between worthwhile interests and damaging thoughts. As Arthur S. Roche puts it, "Worry is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained."
John Edmund Haggai, author of How to Win Over Worry, wrote: "Worry divides the feelings, therefore the emotions lack stability. Worry divides the understanding therefore convictions are shallow and changeable. Worry divides the faculty of perception therefore observations are faulty and even false. Worry divides the faculty of judging, therefore attitudes and decisions are often unjust. These decisions lead to damage and grief."
There are so many things that worry us. We worry about what the future holds for each of us. There are those who are worried about not meeting the expectations of other people. A few worry about not getting on time in everything then do.
Some of the things that most people worry about include health, business, children, clothes, taxes, debts, food, trips, loans, and mortgages. Grenville Kleiser penned this short but meaningful quote: "They worried, still they worried; they worried, but alas! They worried about a lot of things that did not come to pass."
When I was still in high school, I worried about not paying my tuition fees or else I won’t be able to attend the examination. I also agonized of not doing my assignments, writing my home reading reports, etc.
Some worries are results of past or currents actions. A corrupt politician is worried that his constituents may find out that he cheated during the past election. A philandering husband worries about being caught by his wife. A man with many girlfriends could not sleep well knowing that his conquests may know that they are seeing the same man after all.
Yesterday, I received a text from a friend. His message reads: "Worry destroys our thinking, disrupts our work, destroys our poise, and disfigures our face. So get rid of worry." How true, indeed!
I have a brother who doesn’t want to ride a plane. Despite being assured that riding a plane is the safest thing to do, he is still worried that the plane might not get into its final destination. But he is not afraid to ride a bus or travel in a ship.
Unknowingly, worrying too much may lead a person to death. Dr. Charles Mayo stated, "I’ve never known a man who died of hard work, but many who die of worry." If only doctors could write: "Died of worry."
At one time, a pilgrim met the Plague going to Baghdad. "What are you going to do there?" asked the pilgrim. "I’m to slay 5,000 people," boasted the Plague, with a hideous leer.
The pilgrim shuddered and changed his plans. However, sometime later he encountered a refugee from the stricken city and learned that not 5,000 but 50,000 people had died. Soon after, he met the Plague again, traveling to another city. "You lied," accused the pilgrim. "You said you were going to slay only 5,000 people."
"My friend," explained the Plague as pleasantly as he could. "I did kill only 5,000, and the rest of the 50,000 died from fright." How true indeed, were the words of John Lancaster Spalding, "We are more disturbed by a calamity which threatens us than by one which has befallen us."
Let things come to pass and not worry of the things that may not happen. It’s good to be ready at all times but be sure that you are on top of it. Don’t let worry to control you. "If you treat every situation as a life and death matter," said Dean Smith, "you’ll die a lot of times."
What, then, should we do with all the worries we have in life? Throw them away! An old story tells of an angel who met a man carrying a heavy sack on his back and asked him what was in it? "My worries," the man replied.
"Let me see them," the angel said. When the sack was opened, it was empty. The angel wondered, so he inquired, "Just what are you worried about?"
The man answered, "Just two things: yesterday and tomorrow." Hearing those words, the angel asked, "Why worry about them? Yesterday is gone and too late to worry about. And tomorrow isn’t there yet. So, how can you worry about it?"
And so the angel told the man that he didn’t need to carry the sack anymore. So, the man threw the sack away. John Newton was right when he said, "We can easily manage if we will only take, each day, the burden appointed to it. But the load will be too heavy for us if we carry yesterday’s burden over again today, and then add the burden of tomorrow before we are required to bear it."
But I also like the suggestion of Edith Armstrong. "I keep the telephone of my mind open to peace, harmony, health, love and abundance," she said. "Then, whenever doubt, anxiety or fear tries to call me, they keep getting a busy signal – and soon they’ll forget my number."
"Worry is faith in the negative, trust in the unpleasant, assurance of disaster, and belief in defeat," said William A. Ward. "Worry is a magnet that attracts negative conditions; faith is a more powerful force that creates positive circumstances. Worry is wasting today’s time to clutter up tomorrow’s opportunities with yesterday’s troubles."
