Why worry? Instead, count your blessings.

I have learnt, after a lot of trials and errors, not to worry about things I cannot change or cannot afford. One of the things that used to wind me up was the lack of money all the time. Another was owning a property - having a mortgage, and other material things like so and so! Especially when my friends put pressure on me with comments such as 'XYZ has a mortgage, when will you have one?' As time went by my worries multiplied but my situation remained the same. What does it pay to worry?

Prayer upon prayer taught me that worry only robs you of the joy of living today. I realized that I don't have to have what other people have because everybody's life circumstances is different and there is nothing wrong with being different as long as God is with you. As a result, I learnt to count my blessings by simple observations like these:

In spite of my financial difficulties, I have never gone hungry or thirsty,

lacked a roof over my head,

failed to put on my clothes,

or lacked companionship from those who matter!

The lesson? Miracles have two parts: God's part and your part. Do your part and let God do His part. So why worry? Look at these scripture readings on worry:

Worry weighs us down; a cheerful word picks us up (Proverbs 12:25).

Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the centre of your life.

(Phillipians 4: 6-7)

Oh God, give me the strength

to look up and not down,

to look forward and not back,

to look out and not in, and

to lend a hand.

Edward Everett Hale.