I Am a Worrier…

Some might use the word worrywart. But I think worrier sounds better. Almost sounds like warrior. I am fierce at worrying, a warrior of worry. It doesn’t consume me, it doesn’t overwhelm me, but it does take away some of my present thoughts, some of my downtime. It becomes wasted time, thinking about things that might happen or might not happen.

A number of years ago I was talking with my brother about a potential problem. It must have been weighing on me to talk to him about it. His answer to me was: “Denise, don’t sweat the small stuff. And it’s all small.” He was right. And I have no idea what was bothering me enough to talk to him about it. It was small.

At a recent Staff Retreat we were asked to right down a couple of things we needed God’s help with...or something of that nature. I did write that I needed just a little assistance with not worrying about the future – what hasn’t happened yet and what may not happen. I know I need to prepare…I just don’t need to worry. It made me think of Fr. Ed Condon – friend, mentor, and deeply missed. He always had the answer, and it was always simple. He once said to me: “If it’s important enough for you to worry about, it’s more important that you pray about it – then let it go.” Simple. Perfectly simply spot on advice. A few days later I was in the Dollar Store picking up $1 greeting cards (what a great price, right!). On one of the end caps there was some word art hanging on a strip. The one right on the top caught my eye: Worry Less…Pray More I bought it and hung up over the doorway in my old office. It fit perfectly and I needed that daily visual reminder. And it brought a smile to my face thinking about Fr. Ed.

I shared some of my thoughts with the group when we got back together and a version of the poem “Let Go, Let God”:

As children bring their broken toys with tears for us to mend, I brought my worries to God, because He was my friend. But then, instead of leaving Him at peace to work alone, I hung around and tried to help with ways that were my own. At last I snatched them back and cried, “How can you be so slow?” “My child,” he said, “what could I do? You never did let go.”

It can be worries, hopes, dreams, anxiety…you fill in the blank. But whatever it is, I hope that you can give it to God…Let Go, and Let God do the work, in His time.

I don’t worry as much as I used to. I think I’ve learned to “Give it to God” and know that things will be as they are meant to be. And it will happen in God’s time. It’s not easy sometimes. But I continue to work on it. And I continue to need reminders. In a corner in my kitchen is a small plaque sitting on the counter. It says: “Good Morning. I will be handling all of your problems today. I will not need your help so relax and have a nice day. Love, God”. I think I need to move that next to the coffee maker so I’m sure to read it every morning.