The Desperate, Universal Search for Worry-Free Living

Can you believe it’s been more than 30 years since many of us found ourselves singing the catchy words, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”? It was 1988 when that lilting, uplifting tune by Bobby McFerrin perched atop the Billboard Hot 100 list for two weeks. 

"Hakuna Matata, anyone?"

Then, six years later, we were singing “Hakuna Matata,” the memorable little song from the original animated Disney film, “The Lion King.” Remember? “It means no worries, for the rest of your days. It’s our problem-free philosophy, Hakuna Matata!”

Perhaps just mentioning these simple, infectious musical ditties has caused them to again dance around your mind. To this day, when I offer an apology for an oversight – like running a bit late for an appointment or failing to send a promised email – I’ll hear the other person respond, “No worries.”

Ah, if it were only that simple: Don’t worry, be happy! No worries – Hakuna Matata! Because when worries set it, we want to shout, “That’s easy for you to say!” We do worry, don’t we? A lot. 

We worry that it might rain; we worry that it won’t. We worry about not having enough money; if we have enough money, we worry we’ll lose it. We worry about getting sick, losing our jobs, the car breaking down, or growing old. We worry about what people think of us; we worry if people don’t think about us. We even worry if we don’t have anything to worry about, certain something will emerge to worry about. We just don’t know what it is. And that worries us.

This is a universal human problem, and hardly a new one. Jesus Christ devoted considerable time talking about the futility of worry in His “sermon on the mount”: 

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?... Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?... But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:25-34).

Another time, Jesus was explaining how worry can prevent responding positively to the Gospel’s life-changing message. In His “parable of the sower,” He described one such category of folks: “The one that received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22). 

Can you imagine settling down somewhere, surrounded by thorns? This was the metaphor Jesus used. Whenever we allow worries to overwhelm us – and I admit, I’ve been guilty of this at times – we’re treading into thorny territory.

Recently I read about something called a “friendship bench.” It was introduced in Zimbabwe, a war-torn, economically depressed African nation where despair has been rampant. The idea was for people beset by hopelessness to visit a friendship bench where trained elderly women would listen to them. 

The concept spawned the Friendship Bench Project, dedicated to establishing places where troubled individuals can engage in “a warm conversation with someone who cares.” They can now be found in London, England, New York City, and other parts of the world.

It's definitely sounds like a good way to at least provide encouragement for people who find themselves at wit’s end in dealing with their life’s circumstances. But did you know God already has a “friendship bench” for us? In Hebrews 4:16 we’re admonished, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Through prayer, God waits eagerly to hear from us: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be concerned about our lives. We oversee our children so they don’t run out into busy streets. We create budgets for handling our finances wisely. We make sure our vehicles are properly maintained. But as Jesus said, needless worry can choke all the joy and peace out of our lives.

So the next time worry starts consuming our thinking, let’s boldly approach the Lord’s throne of grace, His “friendship bench”: “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Happy, Happy, Happy

A Facebook friend, in response to one of my comments, recently observed how we feel about things and life in general, like being happy or sad, is largely a matter of choice. There’s a lot of validity to that. I recall years ago someone wrote a book called Happiness is a Choice. I never read it, so apparently I chose to be happy without it.

In many instances we can actively choose our attitudes. Urban Meyer, head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team (it’s my blog, so I can mention them if I want!) has been using a formula with his players supporting this concept: E + R = O (Event + Response = Outcome).

That idea finds affirmation in many quarters. We all remember the lilting Bobby McFerrin tune, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” I’ve not become an avid fan of the TV reality series “Duck Dynasty,” but noticed Phil Robertson, the original Duck commander (head quack pot?) has written an autobiography called Happy, Happy, Happy. Better than sad, sad, sad for sure.

"Happy" can come and go in
an instant. "Joy" stays forever.

Being essentially a glass-half-full kind of person, finding the happier side of things might be easier for me than for some others. But I only agree with the notion that we can choose to be happy to a degree. Since our state of “happy” is strongly influenced by happenings around us, remaining happy about everything would require some level of lunacy or cluelessness.

Suppose you’ve had an enjoyable time at the mall, bought a few nice things you needed – or wanted – and you’re feeling happy. Then you notice the fender on your car, smashed, taillight in smithereens on the pavement. You search for a note from the offending motorist, but there’s none. It was hit-and-run, and now you’re calling your insurance agent, unsure about the extent of your uninsured motorist coverage. How happy are you now?

Or you’ve been having a bothersome pain, so you go to your physician, who orders a couple of tests and some blood work. “It’s probably nothing to be concerned about,” she assures you in her best effort to avoid admitting, “I don’t have a clue what’s wrong with you.” A day or two later you receive a phone call and learn the “probably nothing” is definitely something, and it needs to be treated immediately. How happy are you now?

Or you report for work, as you have the past dozen years or so, ready to tackle another day of challenges. Your boss calls and asks you to come by his office. As compassionately as possible, he informs you the company is being forced to make some regrettable cuts – and sorry, you’re a “cut-ee.” How happy are you now?

There’s even a misconception that if you’re a follower of Christ you’re supposed to be continually happy. After all, doesn’t the old hymn say, “and now I am happy all the day”? But in reality, the state of being or feeling happy is neither requirement nor expectation for following Jesus.

Checking with my trusty concordance, the word “happy” appears less than 30 times in the entire Bible. However, there are more than 200 variations of the word “joy” in the Bible. In reality, happy is to joy what a housecat is to a tiger. Totally different animal.

Yes, there are many times when happiness and joy intersect. But joy can exist – even endure – when happy goes away. That’s the promise Jesus made to all who follow Him.

He said, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:9-11).

One thing Jesus never promised His followers was they would always be happy or without problems. In fact, He assured just the opposite. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). In place of “take heart,” other translations use the words “be courageous” or “be of good cheer.” In other words, we can rejoice even when we find nothing to feel happy about.

Gazing at the world around us, some of us may be delighted by what we see, others may feel distressed. You might have just experienced one of the happiest moments of your life, or you may be enduring a great personal loss or tragedy. Regardless of the circumstances, even when we feel overwhelmed, incapable of choosing to be happy, we can experience the joy only Jesus can give. 

Gnashing of Teeth – and Other Pastimes

I’ve been worrying about this blog post. Feeling anxious, fretting about how it will be received. Fearful, agonizing, wringing my hands. I’ve written about this before, but it’s worth contemplating again. It’s…worry.

More than baseball, worry seems to have assumed national pastime status. If there’s anything we can worry about, we will. We even worry when we have nothing to worry about – surely there’s something we should worry about, which worries us.

Take the stock market, our revered economic “indicator.” Many times it rises and falls according to what “might” or “could” happen, based on the latest positive or negative developments. The market’s huge pendulum swings are propelled by fear, worry about the future.

The weather worries us. Experts predict hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, heat waves, or other kinds of severe weather…and we worry. What if this? Or, what if that? Is it because of climate change? If so, let’s worry about what can be done about it.

Alfred E. Neuman of MAD magazine
used to say, "What - me worry?" But
most of us haven't followed his lead.

If such things aren’t sufficient for keeping you happily worried, you can worry about loved ones – or your family as a unit. Or your career, finances, health problems, whether your car will start in the morning. If you’re a big sports fan, you can worry about whether State U will lose that key recruit to the archrival, or whether your team can outbid other teams for the latest superstar’s services.

People on every side of the political spectrum worry about our nation’s direction. What’s the destiny of our society, the “land of the free”?

Recently, TV adapted Stephen King’s sprawling novel, Under the Dome, for a 13-week summer run. What if, as in the story, a giant, impermeable dome fell on your community? No one could get out – and no one could get in. Now that’s something to worry about! It could occur, you know. Stuff happens.

Some people worry about being in an airplane crash. I always liked a friend’s philosophical take on that. He would say, “If you’re destined to die in a plane crash, and don’t get on a plane, then one will fall on your house.”

As a society, we love to worry. We complain, moan, groan, toss and turn in our beds. One thing we don’t often see, but seems like it would be fun to watch, is gnashing of teeth. Maybe people in biblical times worried even more than us, because it talks a lot about teeth gnashing. For instance, it says, “The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away…” (Psalm 112:10).

Jesus also referred to this worrisome tendency. He said, “But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12).

One thing’s certain – if you’re gnashing your teeth, your anxiety level must be really high. “Gnash, gnash, gnash!” “Hey, could you keep the noise down?”

That’s why the Bible offers a “cure” for teeth gnashing: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, that transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Jesus gave His followers the right perspective. “Do not worry about your life…. Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?... And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it…. But seek first his kingdom, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Luke 12:22-31).

Years ago, Alfred E. Neuman, fictitious mascot and cover boy of MAD magazine, offered the motto, “What – me worry?” And singer Bobby McFerrin’s lilting little Caribbean tune suggested, “Don’t worry, be happy.” But let’s face it – we live in an oftentimes scary, always unpredictable world. There’s so much to worry about.

That is, unless we believe God’s in control, as He promises: “For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). Rest in that and we can face each day with anticipation, rather than trepidation.

Pray. Ask. Have faith, trusting God for every one of your needs – and all your circumstances. Jesus is saying, “Enough of that worrying. I’ve got this!” And just think, in heaven there will be no worrying. No gnashing of teeth. 

Thoughts About Positive Thinking

For years I’ve had mixed feelings about positive thinking. Sorry to sound negative, but positive thinking can take you only so far. For instance, I might think positively about becoming an accomplished jockey, but at nearly 6-foot-2 and over 200 pounds, I’m more than a tad beyond the size limit for that diminutive profession. At the same time, I might desire to be a center in the NBA, but that’s unlikely in the forest of 6-foot-10 and seven-foot giants.

"I think, therefore I am...what?"

“What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” That’s been the positive thinking mantra. Sometimes it’s right. A friend dreamed about becoming a successful salesman, and that’s what he did. But it took much more than just thinking. It required training, hard work, planning and perseverance, along with determination not to become disheartened by setbacks.

Early in my career as a newspaper editor, I conceived and believed about writing magazine articles – and also a book. I achieved these goals and more. But again, it required diligence, dedication, acquiring the necessary skills, and tenacity to try-try again, even when rejection letters arrived in the mailbox.

So positive thinking’s OK to a point, but it takes a lot more than that.

At the same time, negative thinking can destroy your day before it even gets started. So thinking positively definitely trumps thinking negatively. It’s even recommended for good health. Studies have shown that long-term pessimistic thinking can triple the likelihood of a serious “heart event” or other life-threatening health issues.

The late Zig Ziglar, one of the world’s foremost motivational speakers and writers, talked about people sometimes commenting, ”Zig, I loved your talk, but for me, motivation doesn’t last.” Ziglar always responded, “Bathing doesn’t last either. That’s why I recommend it daily.”

So, is it a matter of thinking happy thoughts, or as the Bobby McFerrin song of decades past suggested, “Don’t worry, be happy”? I’ve found positive thinking works best when it’s based not on wishful thinking, but rather on reality – and reliable promises.

For instance, addressing followers of Jesus in the ancient city of Philippi, the apostle Paul wrote, “…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things” (Philippians 4:8).

In an age when we’re bombarded by negativity – bad news, reports of gloom and doom, harsh conversations and people just waiting for an excuse to spew their anger – it helps, stating it another way, to accentuate the positive.

As Zig Ziglar advised, I’ve found it useful to make it a habit of meditating on positive, motivational thoughts on a daily basis. And I can’t imagine a greater thought than the promise Jesus left His followers, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

To parrot one of my favorite speakers, “Think about that.”