Several years ago, I listened to a comedian who bought a newspaper in the morning and as he read the headlines, he saw his name in an obituary announcement. He then became very sad, dropped the newspaper and began to weep. Quickly, he called his friends and family and announced to them that he was dead and that his obituary has been announced. He began to assess his properties and started making plans to dispose them. His friends had a hard time convincing him that he was still alive and that the name in the obituary, though the same as his, was another person.
Most of us would easily laugh at this person but I am wondering if we do not mostly behave in the same manner. Many people worry about many things many times. From the first day they left Egypt, most Israelites never ceased to worry about their future and never stopped to complain about their present. It was not surprising that all adults who left Egypt died in the wilderness, except for Joshua and Caleb who stood out by trusting God. A life of worry is a life of fear and torment. Many there are who develop high blood pressures over nothing, because most of the things we worry about end up being nothing. In Luke chapter 12 verses 25 and 26, Jesus asked His disciples: “which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”
The dictionary defines worry as allowing one’s mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles. The bedrock of worry is found in two simple words: ‘what if…’ so, you have people meditating on negative scenarios like ‘what if I can’t afford to buy food next year?’ ‘What if I go for a test and I am diagnosed with cancer?’ ‘What if my husband loses his job?’ ‘What if my son cannot pass his exams?’ ‘What if my daughter marries the wrong person?’ ‘What if I have an accident on my trip?’ ‘What if our house burns down?’ ‘What if an armed robber knocks at our door at night?’ ‘What if my cousin is involved in a plane crash?’ Some people even worry that they are not worrying enough! Worry throws people into depression and depression make people sick and sickness causes death. Why would anyone continue to meditate on the negative when we have a God that is more powerful than all else? Looking at the comical story of the man who thought he was dead just by seeing his name in the obituary, we see that the things we worry about never occur. The man worried that he was dead, but he was actually alive. A professional degree in worry from the University of Imagination will not prevent a bad thing from happening, only God will, so why not put your faith in Him and avoid the troubles!
Now, don’t get me wrong, it is a good and advisable thing to plan for the future and work hard to achieve your dreams, but worrying about the negative repercussions of an event in the future is completely not recommended. Jesus taught in His ‘sermon on the mount’ that if the birds of the air which do not sow or reap or store away in barns are fed by God, then how much more will God provide for those of us who are much more valuable than birds? Though the present realities in our surroundings look bleak, the worst action we can take is worry. We need to plan and pray for God to grant us wisdom to make things work but our prayers will be permanently blocked if we dwell on the negative rather than continue to act in faith, knowing that our Almighty father is indeed All-Mighty and that He will leave no stone unturned to see that our lives work. If we have to be addicted to anything, let it be faith in our God because this is the one thing that never fails. God bless you and God bless Nigeria!
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