{"id":2662,"date":"2013-12-12T14:06:46","date_gmt":"2013-12-12T14:06:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/?p=2662"},"modified":"2013-12-12T14:06:46","modified_gmt":"2013-12-12T14:06:46","slug":"the-worry-wart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/?p=2662","title":{"rendered":"The Worry Wart"},"content":{"rendered":"

I recently ran across a top ten list that I thought I might share with you today. It\u2019s titled, the \u201cTop Ten Ways to Tame Your Worry Habit.\u201d My first thought was, \u201cthis list isn\u2019t for me.\u201d I don\u2019t worry about things. It\u2019s not in my nature to worry.<\/p>\n

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\"DSC_0944m\"<\/a>But then I remembered that I do worry and what I worry about. I recall conversations I\u2019ve had. I relive moments with others. I wonder how I affected those who were around when I made wild remarks. Then I wish I hadn\u2019t said it, done it, or acted the way I did. I go over and over that moment until I\u2019m obsessed with it.<\/p>\n

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And here\u2019s the crazy part. Some of these conversations I recall happened years ago. I can almost guarantee nobody else remembers that one remark I made. Just me.<\/p>\n

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It doesn\u2019t end here either. If I need to write an email for work, I\u2019ll rework that email for an hour. Then I\u2019ll walk away and come back to it and rework it again. Sometimes it\u2019s almost painful to hit the send button.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

These are my worrying points and to be honest, they\u2019ve caused me as much wasted time as worrying about a health issue, or my children and grandchildren, or whether there\u2019s enough money in the bank to cover the bills.<\/p>\n

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Jesus knew worry would be a stumbling point for us and He spoke gentle words of encouragement to those who tend to worry. \u201cDo not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.\u201d<\/i> (Matthew 6:34 \u2013 NIV) Boy did He get that right!<\/p>\n

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So here are some practical ways for you (and I) to tame that worry habit. I pray that you\u2019ll find something that you can implement into your life to help with this time-wasting habit. I believe I did.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cTop Ten Ways to Tame Your Worry Habit\u201d[i]<\/a><\/p>\n

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10. \u201cSeparate toxic waste from genuine concern.\u201d<\/b> If you can do something about a situation, do it. If you cannot do something about it, it will bring you to worry if you allow it to. (Proverbs 16:3)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

9. \u201cDon\u2019t worry alone.\u201d<\/b> Someone may be able to help you see something you\u2019ve missed. Share your concern with a trusted friend. (Proverbs 27:9)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

8. \u201cTake care of your physical body.\u201d<\/b> When we are physically at our peak, we are able to handle the worries of the day. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

7. \u201cDo what is right.\u201d<\/b> Don\u2019t allow guilt to rule your life. Acknowledge mistakes. Seek forgiveness. Live above reproach. (Acts 24:16)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

6. \u201cLook on the bright side.\u201d<\/b> Stay positive. Think positively. Live knowing there is good to be found. Look for the good. (Ephesians 4:29; Philippians 4:8)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

5. \u201cControl your imagination.\u201d<\/b> There\u2019s no reason to ask \u201cwhat if?\u201d You don\u2019t know what might come of a situation. (Isaiah 35:3-4)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4. \u201cPrepare for the unexpected.\u201d<\/b> A little extra in the bank account goes a long way to ward off the worry gremlins. If you can, save a little from each pay check for such an occasion. (Proverbs 21:20)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3. \u201cTrust God.\u201d<\/b> Remember He is in control and while it may not go as we\u2019d like, He has the plan. Trust Him. (Psalm 112:7)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2. \u201cMeditate on God\u2019s promises.\u201d<\/b> God\u2019s Word is filled with promises and there are probably some that deal with your particular area of worry. Know what He has to say about worry and allow the Scripture to transform you. (2 Peter 1:4)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1. \u201cPray!\u201d<\/b> Surely you knew this would be the number one way to tame worry. We will find peace by giving our worries to God. Allow Him to carry the burden. He has big shoulders and a compassionate heart. Give it to God. (Colossians 4:2)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You\u2019ve read these ten ways to tame worry. Perhaps you\u2019ve even said, \u201cyes that\u2019s true.\u201d\u00a0 But until you actually do something to tame your worry, you\u2019ll never be free of it. Worry will always be part of your life. Worry will be your life.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Why not make the decision to implement these ten ways into your life? Ask God to help you with it. And please know that God has better things for you to be doing than sitting around worrying.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Donna<\/p>\n


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[i]<\/a> \u201cTop Ten Ways to Tame Your Worry Habit,\u201d adapted from \u201cHaving a Mary Heart in a Martha World\u201d by Joanna Weaver, Waterbrook Press, 2002, pg. 47.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I recently ran across a top ten list that I thought I might share with you today. It\u2019s titled, the \u201cTop Ten Ways to Tame Your Worry Habit.\u201d My first thought was, \u201cthis list isn\u2019t for me.\u201d I don\u2019t worry about things. It\u2019s not in my nature to worry.   But then I remembered that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_s2mail":"yes","_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1543,1549,1544,677,1545,1546,1540,128,1547,1542,1548,1539,1541],"class_list":["post-2662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-1-corinthians-619-20","tag-2-peter-14","tag-acts-2416","tag-colossians-42","tag-ephesians-429","tag-isaiah-353-4","tag-matthew-634","tag-proverbs-163","tag-proverbs-2120","tag-proverbs-279","tag-psalm-1127","tag-the-worry-wart","tag-top-ten-ways-to-tame-your-worry-habit"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2662"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2662\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2663,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2662\/revisions\/2663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}