Thursday, August 28, 2008

Brian’s Reflection: Friday, August 29, 2008


What worries you, masters you.

- John Locke, English philosopher,
born on this day, 1632


And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span? (NAS, Lk 12: 25)

I have had three anxiety attacks in my life. Every single one of them was when I was in a situation (a ministry) that clearly I was not called to be in. For those of you who have experienced them, they are awful. But. I am not basically a “worrier”. So I learned from the first anxiety attack, and understood that one, and the other two, to be messages from God.

It took me a long while to realize what the first one was saying, and I was able to respond to the other two immediately. You know, we all hate to think that we are a failure, or that we are unable to deal with a situation. But. Worry or anxiety can be a saving message. This is not where you need to be. Move on.

We all worry. And often have good reason. But Worry itself accomplishes nothing useful, as the Bible says. Worry is the Voice of God. Saying, Get off the dine. Do something. Either understand that it’s time to move on, or it’s time to face what’s going on and make some decisions about dealing with it. But just Worrying will get you nowhere.

I have learned from Worry/Anxiety to embrace reality. Not to worry about judgment. If you can’t contribute positively to a situation, a relationship, a job, find out why. You can either change, or you can understand that it’s not a good fit. Neither diminishes who you are, or your gifts.

Trust Worry. Worry comes as an “angel”. But remember: the longer you entertain Worry, it morphs into an evil spirit.

Brian+

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