Who by Worrying

I love that Matthew Chapter 6 passage that admonishes us not to worry.  It was one of the first Bible studies I remember doing as a young adult.  I used to worry a lot and felt my worries were very reasonable. 

It doesn't feel like I worry very much any more, but I do think about things a lot.  Perhaps that is a less anxious version of the same thing.  I'm not sure. 

On the radio today, I heard someone saying that when he hears someone say they have a problem with staying focused, he asks them if they ever worry because worrying means you are focusing on something.  An interesting notion for someone who struggles keeping my focus on what is in front of me instead of somewhere else. 

The same speaker quoted a "study" on worry.  I tried to do a google search for this study.  I found it quoted several places, but not the original source.  I did find something to suggest it came from a fiction story.  In any case, it had some thought provoking and believable statistics that said that after following what adults worried about over a two year period, they found that 40 percent of what they worried about will never occur, 30 percent had already occurred so couldn't be changed, 12 percent were needless imaginings about health, 10 percent were "petty little nothings" about what other people think, leaving just 8 percent that were legitimate concerns.

The problem, of course, becomes identifying that 8 percent, because a vigilant worrying person could imagine all of those things might belong in the 8 percent.  While I don't feel like I'm worrying very often, I do rerun a lot of things through my mind and a lot of "what if" scenarios.  I wonder if sometimes I do it for my own entertainment. I've never been good at reading a book or watching a movie without trying to figure out how it is going to end. 

There are legitimate things that need attention, so we can't ignore every unsettling thought that comes to mind.  We are admonished many times not to worry and told frequently to put our trust in God.  He has given us a Helper.  Perhaps the key is to trust that as we commit each of these thoughts, imaginings and scenarios to Him in prayer, He will prompt us for action when it is needed.  I know this happens. In the absence of such prompting, there is a 92 percent chance the best thing for me to do is simply write it in my prayer journal and wait to see how He will work it out.