Worrying About Worrying

I have been doing a lot of worrying about worrying lately. I am worried about leaders. I am worried about mothers. I am worried about workers. I am worried about good people who want to do good things.

I am worried because most good people I know are over-stressed. This is not good for their health, not good for their souls and not good for their personal effectiveness in life. The thing that concerns me is that the very good that they do is stressing them out so much that they are unable to do as much good as they would like.

I not only want to do good, I want to do MORE good. I can't stand seeing all the good that needs to be done without committing my energies to doing it.

But what is the alternative? Doing nothing? Unthinkable! That is even more destructive to our souls and our health. Catch 22.

Here is what I have been thinking lately. What if I could do more but worry less? What if I could engage wholeheartedly and passionately in my family, my work, my community, etc., but remain at peace within? What if we could have tons of activity on the outside and deep peace and calm on the inside? Maybe the problem is not external activity but internal frenzy. Maybe the problem is not that we are striving too hard on the outside but that we are worrying, stressing and anxious on the inside.

What if we could work hard for God but rest in God?
What if we could engage fully in life's activities but leave the results to the One who asks us to give our very best in serving Him but then calls us to cast our cares on Him?
What if we learned to rest within and work without?

Taking Care

Building into our lives rhythms of self-care is not only smart, it is also godly. One of the first ideas introduced in the Bible is that of work and rest. We need to give intentional energy to becoming good at both of them. Either one (work or rest) neglected in our lives will result in personal disaster and will cause us to be less helpful and more harmful to others. I am concerned that our society in general tends to engage in activities that do not replenish us in our "down time" ("down time" is time when we are not working). Many times when we are exhausted from work we engage in 'escapist' activates such as TV, internet, addictions, etc. that provide us relief from our exhaustion but do not replenish us. This causes us to live empty and tired lives and hinders our ability to be effective workers.

Why is it that people are so tired, burnt out, stressed out, pressured and anxious? Maybe it has less to do with being over-worked and more to do with being under-rested.

If You're Having Fun We're Having Fun

Okay, confession time. I watched a bit of a skating show last night. My wife was watching it, really, and I just wanted some quality time with her (Truth is...I was too lazy to read and decided to let my brain fry in front of the TV and the show wasn't that bad, either). Anyway, one of the judges spoke after a skating routine and said this, "You were having fun out there and if you're having fun, we're having fun."

That got me thinking. I think that's true almost anywhere. Apply it at home with your kids...if you're having a miserable time, chances are you're spreading your misery around. If you're having fun, your chances of lifting your kids' day are higher. Apply it at work; if you're having fun, your co-workers and customers are more likely to be having fun too.

Now I want to meddle a bit. What about church? Maybe our friends don't come to church with us because we are so miserable there! What if we were having so much fun at church, we wouldn't miss it for the world? (literally...don't miss church for the world!)

What if the musicians were having fun, the greeters, the children's workers, the sound man, the media lady, the preacher (whoa...the preacher having fun?)? I think if we all enjoyed ourselves a bit more, we might be more attractive.

Now before you throw stones at me for promoting fun in church, I think a short perusal through the Bible would show that it's not only good PR (public relations), but it's also God-honouring.

A great case study on this from a business perspective is an airline called "Southwest Airlines". If you have ever ridden on one of these planes, you will recount the FUN experience with everyone you know. So, whatever you happen to be up to today...try to have some fun while you are at it. You will not only enjoy it more...you will actually be adding value to the thing you are doing.