Nostradamus and Tornadoes
Posted in anxiety, bills, fear, God, Jesus, Nostradamus, provision, tornadoes, Worry 2 comments
"It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing."
This is the quote uttered by the character Boromir in the first installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy as he holds The One Ring. For me, the small thing that causes me to suffer so much fear and doubt is worry.
I have always been a worrier. As a kid, I recall being completely overcome with fear and worry over seemingly trivial things. As a 9 year old, I watched a documentary in which Nostradamus predicted an apocalyptic world war in 1997. I remember being overwhelmed with feelings of dread because of this for the next 2 years. I literally would lose sleep due to my fear of this impending doom.
Another area of deep anxiety as a child was my ridiculous fear of tornadoes. I recall keeping a close eye on the slightest change in the coloration of the clouds which signaled it was time to seek shelter. Never mind the fact that there were no storm warnings or any real threat on the horizon, I was heading to the basement.
Although I now look back with a laugh at these silly, unfounded trepidations, worry is still something I struggle greatly with. These days, my uneasiness has moved to the adult realm. Predictions of world wars and weather patterns have been replaced with concerns over finances, health, my children, my ministry and the general state of the world.
What is it that causes this constant uneasiness within my heart and mind? If I am going to be completely honest, it boils to down to a complete lack of faith on my part. To worry says that I can somehow control or manipulate the outcome of circumstances and God cannot.
The Bible makes it clear that without faith it is impossible to please God. It hurts the heart of God when I do not trust him to take care of me as He has promised to do. God wants me to place my reliance in Him to provide. Worry, simply put, is the reliance of self.
The sad part is that worry doesn't actually solve anything. Jesus said it this way, "Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?" The answer is, of course, no. This doesn't mean that we neglect our responsibilities. I'm not suggesting that you disregard your next power bill and just assume that God will send in the money you owe. But it does mean that we live in practical expectation that He will take care of all our needs.
To sum it up, let me close with Matthew 6:25,26. "That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?"
God, thank you for being bigger that Nostradamus, tornadoes and power bills!
This is the quote uttered by the character Boromir in the first installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy as he holds The One Ring. For me, the small thing that causes me to suffer so much fear and doubt is worry.
I have always been a worrier. As a kid, I recall being completely overcome with fear and worry over seemingly trivial things. As a 9 year old, I watched a documentary in which Nostradamus predicted an apocalyptic world war in 1997. I remember being overwhelmed with feelings of dread because of this for the next 2 years. I literally would lose sleep due to my fear of this impending doom.
Another area of deep anxiety as a child was my ridiculous fear of tornadoes. I recall keeping a close eye on the slightest change in the coloration of the clouds which signaled it was time to seek shelter. Never mind the fact that there were no storm warnings or any real threat on the horizon, I was heading to the basement.
Although I now look back with a laugh at these silly, unfounded trepidations, worry is still something I struggle greatly with. These days, my uneasiness has moved to the adult realm. Predictions of world wars and weather patterns have been replaced with concerns over finances, health, my children, my ministry and the general state of the world.
What is it that causes this constant uneasiness within my heart and mind? If I am going to be completely honest, it boils to down to a complete lack of faith on my part. To worry says that I can somehow control or manipulate the outcome of circumstances and God cannot.
The Bible makes it clear that without faith it is impossible to please God. It hurts the heart of God when I do not trust him to take care of me as He has promised to do. God wants me to place my reliance in Him to provide. Worry, simply put, is the reliance of self.
The sad part is that worry doesn't actually solve anything. Jesus said it this way, "Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?" The answer is, of course, no. This doesn't mean that we neglect our responsibilities. I'm not suggesting that you disregard your next power bill and just assume that God will send in the money you owe. But it does mean that we live in practical expectation that He will take care of all our needs.
To sum it up, let me close with Matthew 6:25,26. "That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?"
God, thank you for being bigger that Nostradamus, tornadoes and power bills!
2 comments:
Very nicely said. I like the fact that you have it labeled "bills". That means you will be posting more on a subject I can greatly relate with. Also the label "tornadoes". In Kansas, that one will come up again. Thanks for blogging. You are one of my top five faves already in 3 posts. Already bookmarked on my droid.
First time reader Sean. I too have struggled with worry over the years. It's only been in the last few years where I've seen my faith grow to the point where I'm truly able to "let go and let God!" I know that sounds cliche but it's true. God has actually used NewSpring to help me with this as I just try to stay focused on the simplicity of NewSpring's mission and understand (and trust) that God will take care of the rest.
Excellent piece! Thanks for sharing.
Ron
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