Proverbs 12:25
Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop:
But a good word maketh it glad.
The literal Hebrew word used for ‘heaviness of the heart’ is, ‘worry’, which defines a bit more what we are talking about.
Not only worry will not change anything about the future, but it will ruin a very beautiful present. The late Dr. Peter Marshall, Chaplain of the United States Senate prayed this prayer at the opening of the Senate: ‘Help us to do our very best this day & be content with today's troubles, so that we shall not borrow the troubles of tomorrow. Save us from the sin of worrying, lest stomach ulcers be the badge of our lack of faith. Amen.’
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Worry is not something related to our environment, it is rather linked to a state of mind, a condition of the heart resulting from not looking to Yahweh for our protection and provision. An Indian fable says that a mouse was in constant distress because of its fear of the cat. A magician took pity on it & turned it into a cat. Immediately it became afraid of the dog. So the magician turned it into a dog. Immediately it began to fear the tiger. So the magician turned it into a tiger. Immediately it began to fear the hunter. Then the magician said, ‘Be a mouse again, you have only the heart of a mouse & I cannot help you.’ On the other hand, a French soldier in WW1 carried with him this little recipe against worry: ‘Of two things, one is certain. Either you are at the front, or you are behind the lines. If you are at the front, of two things one is certain. Either you are exposed to danger, or you are in a safe place. If you are exposed to danger, of two things one is certain. Either you are wounded, or you are not wounded. If you are wounded, of two things one is certain. Either you recover, or you die. If you recover, there is no need to worry. If you die, you can't worry.
Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop:
But a good word maketh it glad.
The literal Hebrew word used for ‘heaviness of the heart’ is, ‘worry’, which defines a bit more what we are talking about.
Not only worry will not change anything about the future, but it will ruin a very beautiful present. The late Dr. Peter Marshall, Chaplain of the United States Senate prayed this prayer at the opening of the Senate: ‘Help us to do our very best this day & be content with today's troubles, so that we shall not borrow the troubles of tomorrow. Save us from the sin of worrying, lest stomach ulcers be the badge of our lack of faith. Amen.’
.
Worry is not something related to our environment, it is rather linked to a state of mind, a condition of the heart resulting from not looking to Yahweh for our protection and provision. An Indian fable says that a mouse was in constant distress because of its fear of the cat. A magician took pity on it & turned it into a cat. Immediately it became afraid of the dog. So the magician turned it into a dog. Immediately it began to fear the tiger. So the magician turned it into a tiger. Immediately it began to fear the hunter. Then the magician said, ‘Be a mouse again, you have only the heart of a mouse & I cannot help you.’ On the other hand, a French soldier in WW1 carried with him this little recipe against worry: ‘Of two things, one is certain. Either you are at the front, or you are behind the lines. If you are at the front, of two things one is certain. Either you are exposed to danger, or you are in a safe place. If you are exposed to danger, of two things one is certain. Either you are wounded, or you are not wounded. If you are wounded, of two things one is certain. Either you recover, or you die. If you recover, there is no need to worry. If you die, you can't worry.
So why worry?’
Let us now take sample from man’s best friend: the dog. A Chicago physician reports that he had to abandon the use of dogs in an ulcer research program. The dogs refused to get tense & worry, & worry & tension are prominently listed as suspected causes of ulcers. If you inflict an ulcer upon a dog by artificial methods, says the Chicago doctor, he will sit down & placidly cure himself by refusing to be bothered about anything. Let us do the same and actively refuse to worry, and cure ourselves by placidly sitting at the Master’s feet through listening to His Words.
Let us now take sample from man’s best friend: the dog. A Chicago physician reports that he had to abandon the use of dogs in an ulcer research program. The dogs refused to get tense & worry, & worry & tension are prominently listed as suspected causes of ulcers. If you inflict an ulcer upon a dog by artificial methods, says the Chicago doctor, he will sit down & placidly cure himself by refusing to be bothered about anything. Let us do the same and actively refuse to worry, and cure ourselves by placidly sitting at the Master’s feet through listening to His Words.
Let us not be like the incorrigible worrier who said, ‘See how worry pays? Most things I worry about never happen’
1 comment:
This is SO fitting for the current state in which the world is in. There is so much fearful talk about the future of the world and the future of mankind.
We should be PREPARED but NOT SCARED, because our future is in the hands of YHWH.
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