Anti-worry
From a book I'm reading, Making All Things New, by Henri Nouwen...(thanks, Moira, for the book suggestion):
"Jesus does not respond to our worry-filled way of living by saying that we should not be so busy with worldly affairs.
Jesus' response to our worry-filled lives is quite different. He asks us to shift the point of gravity, to relocate the center of our attention, to change our priorities.
Jesus does not speak about a change of activities, a change in contacts, or even a change of pace. He speaks about a change of heart.
What counts is where our hearts are.
When we worry, we have our hearts in the wrong place. Jesus asks us to move our hearts to the center, where all other things fall into place.
To set our hearts on the kingdom means to make the life of the Spirit within and among us the center of all we think, say, or do."
When I wake up in the middle of the night with worry, or am troubled during the day, I try to consciously turn that worry into a prayer, sometimes again and again. By doing that, we are helping others by praying for them, and bringing peace to our own spirits.
"Jesus does not respond to our worry-filled way of living by saying that we should not be so busy with worldly affairs.
Jesus' response to our worry-filled lives is quite different. He asks us to shift the point of gravity, to relocate the center of our attention, to change our priorities.
Jesus does not speak about a change of activities, a change in contacts, or even a change of pace. He speaks about a change of heart.
What counts is where our hearts are.
When we worry, we have our hearts in the wrong place. Jesus asks us to move our hearts to the center, where all other things fall into place.
To set our hearts on the kingdom means to make the life of the Spirit within and among us the center of all we think, say, or do."
When I wake up in the middle of the night with worry, or am troubled during the day, I try to consciously turn that worry into a prayer, sometimes again and again. By doing that, we are helping others by praying for them, and bringing peace to our own spirits.
posted by weso at 3:14 PM
2 Comments:
Reading this again now reminded me of how much I appreciate that Nouwen book. I think I've taken up what he wrote again recently as "Life is not about me, it's about God." And hearing how you turn your worries into prayers - about other people - reminds me that God is so much about getting us out of ourselves and into the world to love/pray/care/work for others. It's easy to turn my worries into prayers about ME, but that's not quite as powerful. :)
I love what you said about turning worry into prayers! I was raised to believe that if we have faith in God we should not worry and that worry is a sign of not trusting in God in that moment. I will try and turn my worry to prayers. It is so comforting. I've been falling asleep praying lately with worry of the kids and theirs colds and coughs while Todd is away.
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