Skip to main content

“We take things from tomorrow and the next day and we dump it on today.”

A thought by Ed Young, from his book, The Fear Virus: Vaccinating Yourself Against Life's Greatest Phobias (p.28). Creality Publishing. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

We do that, don’t we?

Ed says, “Dr. Robert Leahy, clinical psychologist and director of the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy in New York, reported a study that he did showing that 85 percent of what subjects worry about never happens. And with the 15 percent of events that did happen, most of the subjects discovered either they could handle the difficulty better than expected or they were grateful for a lesson learned through the experience. We take things from tomorrow and the next day and we dump it on today. That’s why Jesus is saying to us, ‘Don’t do it. You take care of what God has given you today and don’t freak out about tomorrow.’”

Earlier he said, “We all deal with different fears. For many of us, it’s the fear of the future, the fear of the unknown. The perceived consequences of these potentially unfavorable outcomes can feel very real. This makes our fear feel very justified. We start asking ‘what if’ questions: “What if I get sick? What if I don’t pass the test? What if I don’t make the team? What if I lose my job? What if they leave me? What if my child dies?’ What if this and what if that and what if . . . We could ask these questions all day long.

“I call that kind of questioning ‘scenario sickness,’ and that’s something that we have to stay away from. How many of us can admit to playing out all these ‘what ifs’ to the point where our imaginary fears make us sick? Scenario sickness feeds the process of ‘False Evidence Appearing Real,’ and it causes worry and fear to reign in our lives.”

Later He says, “When fear of the future and scenario sickness starts causing all the ‘what ifs’ to pop into your head, remind yourself that Jesus is saying to you, ‘Don’t worry about all of these ‘“what ifs”’ and fears of tomorrow, I’ve got you!’”

And that is so true isn’t it?

Yes, yes!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

"Jesus comes in the midst of the torrent."

  A thought by Max Lucado from his book,  You Are Never Alone  (p. 60). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)   We all have storms in our lives, don't we? Max says, "No one gets through life scot-free. At one point or another the sky will darken, the winds will rage, and we will find ourselves in a modern-day version of the Galilean gusher." John 6:16–18 (NIV) says, "When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough." Max goes on, "The hearts of the followers began to sink as their boat was certain to do. Their skin was soaked, throats hoarse, eyes wide. They searched the sky for a break in the clouds. They gripped the boat for fear of the waves. They screamed their prayers for help. But they heard nothing. "If only Jesu

“When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life.”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 57). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. To realize that from God’s perspective life is a test goes a long way in determining how you handle your life.   It is important to see that in testing your character is both developed and revealed.   Rick goes on to say that “even the smallest incident has significance for your character development. Every day is an important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God.” So there is a God purpose behind each situation in your life.   Even the bad ones are there to strengthen you and develop you.   You see those bad situations are really good ones because they are there for your good. I start each day with a reminder that God is good.   Not every situation that is going to come in my day is good but because God is good He will use e

“What areas of my personality, background, and physical appearance am I struggling to accept?”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 35). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. Rick posed this question at the end of his chapter, You Are Not an Accident.   In this chapter he deals with the fact that God created you the way you are with a purpose.   In other words you are not an accident.   I am also reading the Apostle John’s view of Jesus and what He said and did while He was here on earth.   In the beginning of Chapter 9 there is a story about a blind man.   And the disciples who were with Him asked Him a good question, “Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind? ”   Have you ever asked the same thing about something in you that you don’t like?   Like that characteristic is a curse or something.   Society has set a standard that is not a standard of God.   Remember, He created you and you are not an accident. Jesus did answer the question about the blind