I choose NOT to worry this year...

I've been reading a book by Max Lucado called, Fearless. It really has had me thinking.  With the new year and all the new things happening in my life - I've been pretty introspective lately.  This book is about fear.  Fear is something that all of us have to face in one form or another.  Whether its the boogie man in our closet or fear of rejection from our peers, we all feel it sometime, no doubt about it. I have had to face all sorts of fears.  Some I have conquered, and others I deal with on a case by case basis; making smaller strides to victory.

Something interesting happened before school yesterday morning that made me evaluate myself. The zipper on my son's backpack keeps breaking.  And this particular morning was no exception.  So, instead of fixing it, this time we pulled out an extra one that we had, packed his school books in it and told him he'd have to use this one until we get him another one.  Isaac began having an anxiety attack about carrying this thing with him to school.  To him it was hideous.  In his mind everyone was going to point and laugh at the ridiculousness of it.  To me...It wasn't an ugly backpack! It was just plain. Plain old navy blue. 

He hung his head and pouted all the way to school.  He probably continued to hang his head as he was walking down the hall.  I can even guess that his eyes shifted across the crowd of kids as he walked down the hall to his class, looking at their faces expecting to see someone to notice it.   The good news is…no one even noticed the back pack while he was at school.  He worried for NO reason.

This sounds silly at first glace doesn't it? I mean, its just a bag!! But how many times have we done this same thing?...even as adults.  Can we really gauge whether or not WE are actually letting the opinions of others rule our lives? Are we stressed out, missing the blessings of the present, because we are so focused on what we "don't have" or "should have"? Are we worried about something that hasn't even happened yet? How silly is that? I admit, I do this way too often.

This year, I am going to make it a point to stop worrying about things I cannot control and things I am not even certain are going to happen.  When I start to worry I will remind myself of this advice, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matt 6:34.  

Happy New Year Everyone!!!  

Praying that this year is full of the blessing of many dreams fulfilled in our lives.