Christian Living

---

Larry Lilly's Letter Wednesday January 17, 2007

Has anyone ever told you to stop worrying?

In my calling to worry is about as bad as getting drunk and one thing that keeps me sober is worrying about what would happen to all of those souls who depend on me if I did hit the booze on a Monday Morning. Preachers often suffer the Blue Monday Syndrome, which simply means that things did not go the way we had hoped and our church did not leap from 50 in attendance to mega church numbers due to our week long effort, said effort consisting of sitting in the office worrying about what made Sister Gruffy frown while we were giving forth our grand oratory on Sunday past.

Over the years just when it seems as though I have finally cast out the demon called Worry, he/she/it comes back with sisters and brothers, aunts and even cousins and gets me to worry about things I never dreamed of, why I have even worried about things in the lives of other people that are none of my business. I worry about what will happen if they get caught and then I worry about how I will feel if they don't get caught and I have to fret about how unfair life is, for the Lord knows I get caught at everything. Life is not fair, and that worries the life out of me. I know it shouldn't and that worries me too.

For years I have had trouble sleeping at night. I usually get up early, so a shrink told me the reason I don't sleep is because I worry about oversleeping. This opinion of this man worries me to no end. The main reason I get up early is because I worry that people who are up early will drive by and seeing no lights on will think that I am lazy. I don't know why people thinking a preacher is lazy would worry me. It's not as though such a thought would be brand new in world history.

As I grow, mature in the Christian faith, I am discovering wonderful new things to worry over. I know about the sovereignty of God, but what if He so busy staying awake over Israel, that somehow I am overlooked in the great scheme of end time things? If I am not an automaton I worry that I might do something I am not programmed for. Even scarier and I really worry about this one; what if I am an automaton? See, now I am worried that you may not know that automaton is an old word for Robot.

A few years ago a friend sent me a four page list of verses that teach worry is a sin. He told me to commit these verses to memory. I then worried that if worrying is as bad as this friend thinks, I am beyond hope. Or did he send them to me because he thinks my memory is failing and memorizing will help to strengthen my mind? Now here is case to worry you through many a long stormy night.

I even stated to myself, "I don't care about worry, it's my life and I will worry if I want to, so that is just the way it is world, live with it. I then spent an inordinate amount of the week worrying over my attitude about worry.

The Great Blonde really set me in a tizzy when she told me that she is worried that I worry so much. This now worries me, in addition to all of the above.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

I will read the Book instead of worrying. At least I will give it precedence over worry.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2007

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE