HOW CAN I COPE WITH THE DEBILITATING EFFECTS OF WORRY?

SCRIPTURE:
“Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry 
about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
(Matthew 6:34)

MEDITATION:
If Jesus stopped by your house in physical form, how would you react?
Would you scramble to hide or throw away things He would not like?
Would you welcome Him with as warm of a greeting as you could muster?
Would you have a desire to ask Him many questions, 
and would you have complete confidence in any information He would give you?

Whenever Jesus tells us something, we know that it is truth 
and that it is for our benefit, wouldn’t you agree?
Whenever we obey His commands and advice, 
we can experience a new level of happiness.

King George V told a friend, “The secret of happiness is not to do 
what you like to do, but to learn to like what you have to do.”
That is good advice for anyone, but it does not give us the level of 
happiness that we can experience when we follow the advice of Jesus.

Think about what Jesus said to the people assembled 
in His ‘sermon on the mount’.
He told them, “do not worry about tomorrow”.
That’s a tall order for many as we play our ‘what if’ games today.
But what is today? It is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday.
Worry can cause us to miss out on a good night’s sleep, because we know 
how the nighttime can unfairly magnify whatever we are worrying about.

Jesus prefaced His instructions about worrying with this advice:
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, 
and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)
The “things” He spoke about were the things 
that make us feel happy and secure (food, drink, clothes, and shelter).
 
Whenever we have these four things, 
we can find contentment in the midst of a storm.
We may still have issues that we don’t want to deal with, 
but we have a foundation of peace and happiness.
Additionally, Jesus gave us the prerequisite for happiness 
and it is to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness”.

Why does He tell us to do that?
Because He knows that when we do, it creates in us the right attitude 
and gives us confidence to face whatever issue comes our way.

ACTION:
Are you burdened with worry?
If so, what are you ‘seeking’?
Remember the words of Jesus for handling worry and finding happiness.
He said you should ‘seek His righteousness’, 
which means you should look at things from His perspective, 
and at the same time, strive to develop His righteousness in your own life.

Worry can be difficult to overcome, but if you are busy trying to purify 
yourself with His righteousness, it can take your attention off your worries 
and help you to see the positives in whatever issue you are facing.

Pray,
“Jesus, forgive me for allowing worry to consume me. I admit that too 
often I allow worry to distract me from other things. I want to follow 
Your advice, and seek the righteousness of God in my own life. Help 
me as I strive to change my focus so that I can see the positives through 
the negatives I encounter. Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your promise 
to take care of all my needs. I pray that my thankfulness will overshadow 
the things that cause anxiousness and worry in my life.”