Don't Worry!

In his letter to the Corinthians the apostle Paul tells them, "I would have you without carefulness" (1 Cor. 7:32) Again in writing to the Philippians he says, "Be carefully for nothing," but the Greek word translated as careful is anxious and a better translation would be "I would that you weren't anxious" and "Don't be anxious about anything" (Phil. 4:6).

In our day anxiety, worry, distress, stress, tension, and dismay are rampant. The sad thing is that those things accomplish nothing good. Instead they sap our strength and fill our minds with negative feelings and thoughts that obscure our connection to the Spirit and what the Spirit is trying to tell us.

But when we've lived lives and habituated responses of worry and anxiety it is often difficult to unlearn our anxious habits! That's where the Truth Tools can be of great benefit to us. As we feel the old responses to problems start to tighten in us, we can use the Truth Tools to change our reaction. It takes time and practice, but it can be done!

Down With Worry!

Problems and worries are like a pesky fly that you shake off but it just buzzes around and lands on you again. The buzzing is as annoying as the tickle when it lands, but the point is that no matter how you try to concentrate on something else or to not think about the fly, it is always buzzing. Problems and worries are the same.


But there is a secret that helps get rid of them like a flyswatter gets rid of a fly. Write down your problems. It is a worry swatter. When something keeps running through your mind so that you can’t concentrate on other things and you feel the worry sending its tentacles of fear through you, stop and write down in as much detail as you can what you are feeling and why. Then step back and notice how the worry is now out of you and on the paper. It is a like a Sudoku puzzle just sitting there waiting to be solved. Then go about your day leaving the worry on the paper.

Worrying never brings a solution. Worry only pushes you into the Pit of Illusion. Time and inspiration bring solutions. By writing things down, we get the static worry creates out of our heads. And with the worry gone it is surprising how solutions present themselves to the cleared out mind—the mind that is Living in Truth.

Out of the Comfort Zone Into the Joy

I’m home and all went well. These new little ones are so precious and such a miracle. Holding little Hugh brought back so many memories of my own babies. In short, I had a wonderful time.

Traveling gives me time to think and even though it was a short flight, I had time to wonder about failure. When we live in Truth we don’t worry about failure. We just do what needs to be done. But there is something about the worry of failing. Many people say they are afraid of failing. They won’t do a lot of things because of that fear. But it isn’t the fear of failing that stops most of us. It is the fear of being observed failing.

Think about that. If you were alone and no one could see you, would you still be afraid to attempt something for fear of failing? In some rare instances where the thing is dangerous the answer would be, “Yes.” But for most things it really isn’t the thing itself that scares us, it’s the fact that other people would see us failing. In other words, we are worried about ourselves and our self-image.

But when we live in Truth, we recognize that in this mortal life failure is going to happen and that life is much richer and more enjoyable when we drop the unnecessary pain of worrying about failing, spread our wings and try as many things as we can. So what if we fail? We are better for having tried, and life is a lot more enjoyable that way.

So jettison your fear and do something that's out of your comfort zone. Enjoy!

Don't Worry!

In the King James Bible, Philippians 4:6 reads, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” The New International Bible reads, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” But the New Revised Standard Bible translation is my favorite. It says, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

“Do not worry about anything!” Just let God take care of you. It reminds me that when we were children most of us turned to something for security. One of my daughters had a little blue doggy that she carried around and slept with. Others had a blanket and one even carried around pieces of batting that she loved to hold and rub against her cheek while she sucked her thumb. Those things are comfort, security, peace to a child.

But as we grow older we give up those things and replace them with other things. Money in the bank. Lots of friends. Good positions. Knowledge. Fancy neighborhoods. Degrees. These are some of the things that replace our blankets and stuffed animals as we seek safety, comfort, and security in life. But there is only one thing that allows us to live a life without worry and that is to turn to the Lord in “prayer and supplication with thanksgiving” and let Him guide us.
It is possible to “not worry.” But it can only happen if we let go of the things of the world and find our security in God. And then, "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7).

Don't Worry

In the King James Bible Philippians 4:6 reads, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” The New International Bible reads, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” But the New Revised Standard Bible translation is my favorite. It says, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

“Do not worry about anything!” Just let God take care of you. It reminds me that when we were children most of us turned to something for security. One of my daughters had a little blue doggy that she carried around and slept with. Others had a blanket and one even carried around pieces of batting that she loved to hold and rub against her cheek while she sucked her thumb. Those things are comfort, security, peace to a child.

But as we grow older we give up those things and replace them with other things. Money in the bank. Lots of friends. Good positions. Knowledge. Fancy neighborhoods. Degrees. These are some of the things that replace our blankets and stuffed animals as we seek safety, comfort, and security in life. But there is only one thing that allows us to live a life without worry and that is to turn to the Lord in “prayer and supplication with thanksgiving” and let Him guide us.

It is possible to “not worry.” But it can only happen if we let go of the things of the world and find our security in God. And then, "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7).

Why Worry Over One Percent?

I’ve never been much of a worrier, but when I worry I REALLY worry. I blame it on the vivid imagination I have. That’s what I’ve been working on eliminating. I once read that worry is like rocking in a rocking chair. It takes up time, but doesn’t get you anywhere. But it is worse than that! The rocking makes a rut in the ground that sinks you deeper and deeper in despair.

It has also been purported that 95% of the things we worry about never come to pass and of the 5% that does come about, four out of five of those things turn out better than what we anticipated. And of that last one percent that actually does happen, it is usually not as bad as we thought it would be.

So why do we worry? I don’t have a clue. Why make ourselves miserable when we don’t need to. When we Live in Truth, we deal with what is, not with what might be. That simple way of dealing with life saves so much pain. So stop worrying! Be happy!

Don't Worry!

Living in Truth means not worrying. That is difficult for most of us to do. For many people, worry seems to be something like a heart beat—it is always with us and we think without it life would end. But we don’t need to worry! As a matter of fact, we are told not to.

The Savior instructs us to seek “not the things of this world but seek ye first to build up the kingdom of God, and to establish his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day shall be the evil thereof” (JST Matthew 6:33-34).

In the Greek manuscripts this last verse makes a lot more sense. What it says (I’m paraphrasing) is that we shouldn’t be troubled or anxious about the things of tomorrow because the things of tomorrow will take care of themselves. Sufficient to each day is its trouble. In other words, if we turn our minds to the things of God and not worry about the problems of life, they will be taken care of.

I can’t imagine a better promise! Don’t worry. Keep the commandments. Be happy. Trust in God and “all things shall work together for your good” (D&C 90:34).

No Worries!

At one point during the Sermon on the Mount the Savior tells the people, “Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” (Matthew 6:25). At first reading this seems strange. Aren’t we supposed to plan ahead? What about storing food in case of emergency? How does what the Savior say go with that?

The answer is once more found in the Greek. The word translated thought in this verse is merimnao which means, “to be anxious; to be troubled with cares.” The Savior isn’t instructing us not to plan. Instead the Savior is teaching us not to worry. If we are keeping the commandments and doing what we are instructed to do, we have no need to worry or fret about the future.

That is part of what it means to live in Truth. We don’t have to worry or fear. When we live in Truth, we deal with what is presently in front of us and leave the rest in God’s hands. We aren’t anxious. We aren’t troubled with cares. Instead we trust that God will lead us to the things we need to do and the experiences we need to have when they are supposed to happen.