Do Not Be Anxious...

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

Whilst it can be said that many things in this white man's world annoy him from time to time, truly nothing vexes him more than people who have a habit of over-worrying. Honestly, it's people who are constantly anxious about their life and, especially in my world, church that find their way most easy under my skin. And I'm compelled to ask myself why that is? Because in my day-to-day sojourns I come across gossips, wealth-obsessed materialists, lazy philanderers and so on but it is worriers that cause me the most grief. So why? I believe for each and every person life brings its own unique joys, tears, triumphs, challenges and, most certainly, worries. If you're breathing God's air then that is the unquestionable reality of life. Worriers get to me because they, in the midst of their anxious conniptions, spew out their uninvited stress on me which is exactly what I neither need or requested to cope with. This white man has his own dramas to deal with - I don't need others adding to it needlessly with trivial anxieties that they should have the good measure to cope with themselves. Now that doesn't mean that I am uninterested in other peoples concerns - of course I care about the issues that others are dealing with that are significant. As a social worker for ten years, dealing with the issues of many dysfunctional clients was my bread and butter - and some would say that nothing much has changed with the exception of my current job title! If the problems are real then I am there to help and support the afflicted. But my ultimate bug-bear is those worriers amongst us who expertly predict their woes and troubleshoot issues that are not even issues yet!

So this white man says this - I choose to worry about the problems of today that are tangibly real in front of my two eyes. I will do my best to deal with the issues of the day of which I can affect meaningful change. On the flip-side - I choose not to allow fear forecasters to burden me with their anxiety-filled prophecies of doom and gloom and infect me with their stress! They are nothing more than control freaks who cannot deal with events outside of their control. I pity them greatly because they quench the true joy of life's unpredictability.

There - I said it and I feel better for it (and if this posting has added any stress to your day then I humbly apologise!) .