Worry About This – Worry, Prayer and Imagination

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Philippians 4:6 (NLT)

There can be much so much to worry about these days, from, “paying a bill” to “global violence.” There's much going on that I find no peace in. However, spending endless moments and days pulling my hair out, bitching about problems, frozen by worry, silent in confusion, wilfully ignorant in avoidance, will not change a single thing. Worry is not a productive emotion.

We’re better off putting our imagination into conversations, into being love and light in the world, into creatively spreading kindness and joy, and strategically thinking about how we can get through and affect the issues and things we worry about, and considering the role we play in them.

I think listening will play a big part in this. Not just people listening to us and our good ideas, but listening to OTHERS – their thoughts, stories, and experiences. More than listening, learning from them, too.

Humble and open.

Worry is an indicator that your attention might be needed in a situation, toward an issue, or to someone. But that's all that it is. An indicator, an alarm, a flag. See it for what it is, acknowledge it, and then set your mind and heart toward moving through it.

It’s harder than it sounds. As I’m sure, you know. But if you work at it, and keep at it, a pattern develops. A wise man once said:

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.” Paul, Philippians 4:6-7.

And what is prayer if it's not speaking AND listening. Giving AND receiving. Considering not just what you can do to fix things, but how you might need to transform for things to fix. Prayer is an exchange, engagement, and awareness.

Don’t allow worry, override it.

How does worry affect you? Leave us your comments below.