February 11, 2004 10:52 P.M.
Wait to Worry
The Call
I received a phone call this week from a special friend with whom I make contact, only a few times a year. She is in her eighties now. When I was a young mom, and she in mid-life, she was a good friend, a counselor, and my mentor. This phone call brought memories flooding into my mind. I was in several classes that she taught, and being the example of her teaching, I can hear her exhorting us that �people have a right to know, what you know.� In other words, the purpose of our �learning� in life was not just to fatten our own storehouse of knowledge, but also to pass it on to others.
Her voice, coming to me across the miles from New Mexico, sounded exactly as it had years ago. You can hear her smile, as you listen to her words.
Later, after saying, �Goodbye�, I began to think about how, when remembering an old friend, or teacher, or acquaintance�even sometimes a public personality or something someone has written�how I tend to remember one particular thought, or concept, or phrase which they spoke into my life�s treasure chest. Something that �they knew,� and then they shared. Often that one thing hangs over the person�s memory, like a banner, connecting their faces with their deposit into my life. Does that make sense to you?
And right on the coattails of that thought, two phrases surfaced in my mind, which I would like to deposit into your �treasure chest.� I have learned these, and proven them to be true.
They are spiritual concepts, but I think that even if you don�t have a religious bone in your body, because you live in this world and are part of the human race, they will be meaningful to you.
The first principle can be accomplished, because the second one is true.
Wait To Worry
Worry is part of the human predicament. Some of us have developed this bad habit at a very tender age, and carry it as personal baggage throughout life. I literally have worried myself sick at times.
Have you ever seen those little wall plaques which read, �Too soon oldt, and too late schmart." And they have the caricature of some old geezer on them. Well, I personally think that later is better than never.
Just a couple of years ago I heard a man (we�ll call him Bill) tell a story about himself. It seems that Bill too, was a worrier. He had fallen upon a season in his life of serious health problems, financial indebtedness and general anxiety. He went to visit a close friend who dealt with huge corporate decisions and vast amounts of money on a daily basis.
Bill asked his friend; �How do you deal with worry?�
�Bill, years ago I found myself in a desperate situation. I don�t know where it came from, but it was like a neon sign came across my mind, which read �WTW�. Wait To Worry. Ever since then when I find myself beginning to worry, I just envision those words.�
He went on to explain how he remembered the words spoken in the Gospel of Matthew: �Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.� He said, �Worry has to do with things that haven�t happened yet�they�re in the future. What if you waited until it was time to worry?�
Life is a problem solving enterprise. Worry diminishes life. �Wait to worry�, when you can do something about it. Then it becomes planning.
W.T.W.
Since hearing this story, I have repeatedly used this principle when something comes up that just about knocks me off my feet, but there is nothing I can do about it�yet.
And it works because of the second thing I want to share. My dear mentor-friend in N.M. said this, years ago. I have repeated it to a lot of people in the midst of a crisis. They look at me with puzzlement on their faces.
God is Previous
They ask, �What does that mean?�
It simply means, that no matter what happens to you in life, God provided for it ahead of time. I can look back over my entire lifetime and see that principle at work, over and over again.
Example: Five years ago my daughter and her husband invited me to accompany them on a trip to Orlando, Florida. They were attending a business conference, taking their five-year-old son, and they needed a babysitter. Besides, my parents lived in Daytona Beach, and we could run over the short distance to visit them while we were there.
We began to pack and get everything prepared. Our plane tickets were for Friday morning of that week. We were all set to go.
I received a phone call. My mother, who was aged and in failing health, had suddenly passed away. The memorial service was planned for Saturday morning. We would be arriving in Florida on Friday. One of the things that made this so amazing to me is that I really do hate to fly. Flights are always a very traumatic experience for me and I dread them. It had taken a lot of �building my nerve up� to agree to this trip originally. I considered it a gift from God that the timing of events fell as they did and I didn�t have to make another flight. What are the odds? God is previous.
I have experienced this in many areas of my life�notably in financial matters. The supply is there, in advance of the unexpected need.
They really work.
�Wait to Worry.� (and know that) �God is Previous.�
It makes a world of difference.
By the way, �Stove Man� did arrive on Monday. It took him over four hours to install the built-ins, but they are worth it. I have been working with a range top that had only one burner that consistently lit from the pilot light. The pilots were always going out and I would smell the gas. Also I lost track of how many times I called the Gas Company to come out and check my oven, because I could smell gas coming from it. The coupling unit (?) was worn out. It was a very old stove. The timer didn�t work. The clock didn�t work. The light only worked if you tapped on it just right. It was probably a serious safety hazard. But now I am in the 21st Century!
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