Matthew 6:25 (KJV)Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
One of my main responsibilities at work is to worry. As odd as that sounds. I try to think of everything that could go wrong so that methods of preventing problems can be developed before they start. It wasn't until someone asked me what the "key" was to my peace of mind at work and in life, how to know when worrying is productive. It was then that I began to think about Matthew 6:25.
Its hit me strangely to think that up to a certain point, worrying is called planning. Then after another point, worrying is called "spinning your wheels." It then moves onto wasting time "thinking" about those things that you can't control, instead of using your time to act upon the things that you can control, or somehow affect.
Turning our problems over to God teaches us to depend on Him and builds our faith in Him. The Bible tells us not to worry. Study the Bible and pray to God for help in building your plans around His will. Proper planning frees us from having to worry.(Matthew 6:25)
Just as we need to do some productive worrying to plan, we also need to allow ourselves to feel some emotional pain. If we attempt to ignore or block out all pain, aren't we wearing emotional blinders or rose-colored glasses? How can we hope to meet the needs of other people, to express Christ's love to them, if we take emotional aspirin to free ourselves from all pain? We cannot empathize with their situation if we never allow ourselves to feel what they are feeling. Just as with worrying, there is a cut-off point for sharing the pain of others. Sharing their pain is productive as long as it helps us understand their situation and motivates us into helping them. But beyond a certain point, sharing their pain will become an unnecessary burden for us.
We need to be sensitive to the needs of other people. Christ shared our pain, our sin, to free us from our suffering. Shouldn't we also share the pain of other people when it helps free them from their suffering?
When you find yourself planning for events that "might" go wrong, remember to plan for the events that are going to go RIGHT. And when you are sharing other people's pain and sorrows, remember to share their JOYS, as well.
One of my main responsibilities at work is to worry. As odd as that sounds. I try to think of everything that could go wrong so that methods of preventing problems can be developed before they start. It wasn't until someone asked me what the "key" was to my peace of mind at work and in life, how to know when worrying is productive. It was then that I began to think about Matthew 6:25.
Its hit me strangely to think that up to a certain point, worrying is called planning. Then after another point, worrying is called "spinning your wheels." It then moves onto wasting time "thinking" about those things that you can't control, instead of using your time to act upon the things that you can control, or somehow affect.
Turning our problems over to God teaches us to depend on Him and builds our faith in Him. The Bible tells us not to worry. Study the Bible and pray to God for help in building your plans around His will. Proper planning frees us from having to worry.(Matthew 6:25)
Just as we need to do some productive worrying to plan, we also need to allow ourselves to feel some emotional pain. If we attempt to ignore or block out all pain, aren't we wearing emotional blinders or rose-colored glasses? How can we hope to meet the needs of other people, to express Christ's love to them, if we take emotional aspirin to free ourselves from all pain? We cannot empathize with their situation if we never allow ourselves to feel what they are feeling. Just as with worrying, there is a cut-off point for sharing the pain of others. Sharing their pain is productive as long as it helps us understand their situation and motivates us into helping them. But beyond a certain point, sharing their pain will become an unnecessary burden for us.
We need to be sensitive to the needs of other people. Christ shared our pain, our sin, to free us from our suffering. Shouldn't we also share the pain of other people when it helps free them from their suffering?
When you find yourself planning for events that "might" go wrong, remember to plan for the events that are going to go RIGHT. And when you are sharing other people's pain and sorrows, remember to share their JOYS, as well.
