Don't Worry....Be Happy

Hmmhmmhmheehhummm…Don’t worry…be happy…ha-ha, you’re singing it too, now, right? 

 

I do this a lot in when I’m burdened, it’s in my DNA. This morning, upon awakening, I flashed back to the late 70s--I’d come home from college for the weekend, and as I walked into the kitchen, I caught my mother in a moment of wild abandon, moving and singing to that Leo Sayer one-hit wonder, “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing.” 

 

I love this memory, and it never fails to make me smile. See, my mother was happy in the midst of the turmoil and calamity that is the life of a missionary on furlough with 4 teenagers--one a particularly wild child that caused much angst. ‘Nuff said! Thank you Lord for Godly parents, whose trust has always been in You. 

 

I can honestly say, the only times I worried, panicked, or misbehaved were the times when I became over-confident in me-the great I am, because I always let me down. 

 

Listen, YOU will always let you down.  So will jobs, doctors, husbands, children...whatever your particular worry, concern, or expectation. When you replace your trust in the One who entrusted us with these temporary gifts of husbands, children, jobs, you will be disappointed Every.Single.Time. Why keep repeating the same insane cycle?

 

I know you’re thinking, “Huh. Okay, Ms. Zippity Doo Dah Everything Is Beautiful. I’ve got these kids, this illness, my Thornies, this job…I need a nerve pill!” 

 

You don’t need a nerve pill, friend; or a drink, or a website, or anything else to calm you down. All you need is to remember your complete trust point of reference: the all-seeing, all-knowing, always concerned Father of Light. 

 

Let go of those unattainable expectations in these earthly blessings, put all your energy into the One who never disappoints, never leaves, and always has your best interest at heart.

 

Don't worry...be happy!

 

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought. Jeremiah 17:7-8.