Don't Worry

So, for anyone that knows me at all, they will agree with the fact that I am a worrier. I worry about what I perceive to be big things like my weight, heart attacks, loss of loved ones, the safety of my kids, family fall outs, hurting people's feelings, car accidents, the war in Iraq, the economy, and the environment to not so serious things like the cleanliness of my spinach, the next paper due in class, whether the parakeets are happy, what really did happen to the hamster that ran away, and does anyone judge me by the appearance of my son's hair? Some people might jokingly suggest I have anxiety issues. And they are probably only pretending to joke so I don't worry about the fact that they might have mentioned that I have anxiety issues.

If the first step to fixing a problem is to admit you have one, well, then I've completed step one. So now what? What do I do next?

Well, as a person that proclaims to be a (albeit flawed) Christian, I guess the next step would be to see what the bible says. Admittedly, it's not always my first instinct. What does that say about the state of my spirituality? Great, something new to worry about. But since I actually thought about it, I'm willing to bet you know a few of the verses that come to mind about worrying, for example when Jesus points out the flowers of the field and says they don't worry. In the past, I admit, I have thought about the beauty of that scripture but at the same time, I can't help thinking: what in the world does a flower have to worry about?

To me, this was more helpful:

Can a mother forget a baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. Isaiah 49:15

Wow. I am engraved on the palms of God's hands. That's way more impressive than a tatoo. It's really hard to forget about something that is carved in your hands. People write on their hands with pen all the time. It's usually something trivial, like a reminder to pick up toilet paper at the grocery store. But not always. I have a friend Jessica that had her sister's name tatooed across her wrist. When I asked her about it, she said it was a tribute to her sister who died a few years ago. When people ask her about it, she gets a chance to tell people about her sister, and in a way, it keeps her sister's memory alive. How much more poignant is it that God has you carved in his hand? He's not forgotten you.

So don't worry.