“Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.” Napoleon Hill
Happy Monday!
I hope you had a lovely and productive week, although shorter for some. I’ve always wondered why shorter work weeks due to holidays and time off tend to seem longer than they should. It’s interesting how our brains work. Even when we understand and accept a concept, we still try to make it different than it is.
I found myself worrying this week. Nothing was particularly out of sorts, and there is always something on my mind. But, this week, I woke up several mornings almost panicky. That’s an unusual feeling, and I wasn’t very fond of the sensation.
I began considering why I was having this reaction and decided to meditate and journal. I was curious about the thoughts running through my mind and what was causing the unusual response. The process led me to some revelations about worry.
I also discovered some interesting thoughts others have about the subject. Let me share a couple of them with you:
“Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow; it only saps today of its joy.” Lou Buscaglia
“Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose.” Eckhart Tolle
“Stop worrying about what can go wrong and get excited about what can go right.” Unknown
Several times during the previous week, I encountered someone commenting on how certain trees in the forest have seeds that can only be opened through intense pressure or fire. I thought this was interesting and correlated it with my contemplated worry and adversity. Before I share my thoughts with you, though, I want to share this insight from Napoleon Hill:
Mr. Hill’s words are powerful on their own and help us grasp the essential process that adversity presents. However, we can start to comprehend the futility of worry when coupled with adversity. If we recognize that adversity is actually beneficial and can aid us in establishing important objectives in our lives, then we realize worry serves no useful purpose, as Mr. Tolle suggested.
And then, later in the week, during morning devotions, I read this in Luke 12:
“Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. 23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? 25 And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 26 If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?29 “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. 30 For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. 32 “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (v.22-32)
So, indeed, what’s the point of worry when all it does is cause us anxiety, give us headaches, and terrorize our minds, bodies, and emotions? If you think about it, it seems like a colossal waste of time and energy. We certainly can come up with other, more beneficial things to do with our thoughts.
And what about reconsidering our stance on adversity? What amazing transformation might we realize if we engage fully in our times of adversity rather than trying to run from them? We could be more supportive of one another through life’s storms if we recognized them as times of tremendous growth and development.
This week, as we face unsettling situations and begin to worry, let’s remind ourselves and each other that this may be an opportunity to establish something new. Let’s be supportive and positive through these experiences and remember that some seeds must burst before they can create new saplings. I can’t wait to be amazed by the creativity released in the process!
Be Well & Be Blessed!
Lucinda
