Why Wallow in Worry

“Therefore do not be anxious about

tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious

for itself. Sufficient for the day is its

own trouble.”        Matthew 6:34 ESV 

…casting all your anxieties on him,

because he cares for you.

                             1 Peter 5:7 ESV 

     “The German word for worry means “to strangle.” The Greek word means “to divide the mind.” Both are accurate. Worry is a noose on the neck and a distraction of the mind, neither of which is befitting for joy.” (Max Lucado-Grace for the Moment Vol 1)

     As my feet hit the floor this morning, worry crept into the cracks of my heart. Knowing that it is going to be a very bad day for someone I desperately love had prepared me for a day’s worth of worry. I could feel the heaviness on my chest like an elephant seated squeezing the air out and allowing no intake of oxygen. My upside down smile betrayed my thoughts as anxiousness filled the entire room. I was ready to wallow in worry!

     But God had a different plan for my day. I opened my Grace For The Moment devotional for today and found the title “Give God Your Worries.” I opened my Streams in the Desert devotional and found the first line reminding me that “Nothing that is not part of God’s will is allowed to come into the life of someone who trusts and obeys Him.” I opened my Bible to Matthew six where words in red reminded me, for nine verses, that I should not be anxious.

     A picture of a buffalo wallowing in the mud to keep the flies away popped into my mind. Then the throne room of the Almighty in all of His splendor and glory overshadowed that buffalo. The golden light of God’s glory shooed the flies away and the buffalo’s fur glimmered in the rays of heaven’s glorious light. God whispered in my ear—Stop wallowing. I AM!

     After getting up off the floor, and assuring my lab Duchess that I was fine, I opened my Bible and read aloud the beautiful gift of Psalm 103. “Bless the LORD, O my soul!”

     I laughed as I thought about God’s usage of a muddy buffalo to get my attention. I relaxed as the words of Psalm 103 penetrated my spirit, and I turned my frown upside down as I thought about how much my Heavenly Father loves me and you and all those about whom we might worry.

     So, if today you have decided to wallow in worry, take my advice. Don’t! God may send you a muddy buffalo.

 

© Joyce Powell
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