“And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?”          Matthew 6:27 (NASB)

Everyone is good at something. Some people are good at fixing things. Some people are good at singing. Some people are good at sports; and there are some people who seem to be good at just about everything!

I am good at something too: Worrying. I often tell people who are close to me that worrying is what I do best – and it is true.

I worry about the little things. When I have family and friends over to our home, I worry that the house isn’t clean enough, that there won’t be enough food, that people won’t like the food, that people will get bored – the list goes on and on. Almost daily, I worry that I say things wrong and that I might hurt someone’s feelings. I worry about making a wrong decision. You know, if I could lose weight sweating over the small stuff, I would be a size 2!

Then, I worry about the big stuff: or what I think is big stuff. Will my children make good choices? Will they be successful? I worry about things that will not happen for several months. Will everything turn out OK? I have come to realize two things. In reality, most of the big stuff I spend my time worrying about 1) may never happen and 2) I have no control over.

So, as I read the scriptures, I begin to wonder – Why worry?

In Matthew 6:25-26, we read, “For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth more than they?”

Let’s face it. Worrying is a waste of time and energy. I pray about my worries yet I often refuse to really let them go – to just lay them at the foot of the cross and walk away. I know that is what I should do. Time and again, when I have successfully done that I have found a true sense of peace. Yet, I continue to worry.

The Bible says, “Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34

Easier said than done. As time goes on, I am getting better at laying my immediate worries aside and remaining calm; however, I still get stuck doing what I do best when it comes to those I love the most. It is so hard to sit back and watch those you love make decisions that you believe are bad – but that’s the point. We don’t really know. Do we? Our worry can be born out of our past experiences but we cannot assume that what happened to us will happen to someone else. So, why worry?

We are not in control – even when we think we are. But God is. He is in control and He longs to remove the worry, anxiety, and stress from our lives.

Be reminded: “… seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

I think it is time for me to find a new talent, something else to be good at. Not an easy task, but I am willing to try.

What do you do best? Is it a true talent or just an empty proclivity for an unproductive action – like worrying? If that is the case – I encourage you to continue to walk and talk with God until you are able to tap into your true talent. That’s what I am going to do.