Billy Graham once wrote, “Someone once said, “Worry is the interest paid on trouble before it comes due.”

Hmmm. Interesting thought.

In the Bible a man named Job once said “What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me.” [Job 3:25 (NIV)]

We as humans worry and fret, get anxious, and lose sleep often over nothing.

A man went to his doctor and said, “Doc, I’m having a hard time breathing, my neck feels tight and my eyes are bulging. Upon a thorough exam, the doctor told the man he had three weeks to live. The man decided to make the most of the time he had left. So he decided to get a tailored suit, something he had always wanted. The tailor was taking measurements and said as he wrote, “Neck, 18…” The man corrected him, “No, I’m 17 ½ , been for years.” The tailor shook his head, “No sir, if you wear a 17 ½ you will probably feel short of breath, have a tight neck and feel like your eyes will pop out.”

Sometimes we are the cause for our troubles, and sometimes they are just imagined.

The fact is there will be troubles enough to deal with without us wasting our lives over “worry mirages.”

Jesus said, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34 (NIV)

Wise advice from the Son of God. Let’s profit from it and quite wasting our time with placebo worries and trust God when the real thing comes our way.

Doug West, Pastor First Church of the Nazarene Dexter, MO

First Church of the Nazarene is located at 712 E. Stoddard St., Dexter, Missouri.  Contact number is (573) 891-2006