“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.”
― Corrie ten Boom
(Click above for an audio version of this post.)
Years ago, a man in the church I was pastoring - let’s call him Bob - told me his father had died of heart disease at the age of 76. Then he told me he was convinced he was going to die the same way, at the same age. Bob was 72 at the time.
Over the next few years, I watched as Bob grew more and more convinced (and more and more worried) that this was sure to happen. Then his 76th birthday finally came…
And went. And then his 77th. And 78th. If memory serves, Bob ended up dying at the age of 83, and not of heart disease.
I think about him sometimes when a story about an imagined future has me in a choke hold. I think about the worry he carried around like a bowling ball because of a story that turned out to be lighter than air. And I think about how much time that story stole from his life.
We all worry. It’s human. And in small doses, it’s probably a healthy coping mechanism. But here’s the thing…in our attempt to feel some control over a future we have very little control over (the definition of worry), we give up the present moment, which we do have (some) control over. Or put another way, in our attempt to control something that may happen, we are no longer awake to what is happening. And that’s a high price to pay.
So for this first Soul Snack, I invite you to pay attention to the stories you’re telling yourself about futures you have very little control over: your own future, our country’s future, our planet’s future. And be honest about how much space those stories are taking up in your life; how much they’re costing you.
Because at the heart of being ‘awake’ to our lives (one way of describing the spiritual path) lies a commitment to living in the present, and a trust that whatever the future holds, we will be given the resources we need.
With love,
Ian
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Snack? Ian, this is a full meal for the soul for those of us who to tend to worry. Worry can be insidious and tends to seep into and through the smallest openings in my mind and soul. Thank you for the reminder to live in the present with a trust that whatever the future holds, God will provide the resources needed. This is my "food" for today!
Thanks Mel. Yes, these anxious election days are testing all of us to stay grounded in what we know is most true.