Monday, September 28, 2009
The Faith not to Worry
I've been thinking a lot lately about the relationship between worrying and faith. I've been kind of worried during the past two weeks. Sometimes I would feel worried without even having anything specific to worry about--I was just stressed constantly. I haven't gotten like that since 8th grade and a few times in high school. Somehow, it seems like my capacity to deal with school is a bit diminished since coming home from my mission. During summer term it was fine because the load is less, but fall semester has been intense. I've been feeling a ton of pressure to get married (the theme is rather omnipresent here at BYU), and that has been worrying me as well.
And I've come to a conclusion: if I'm worrying, I'm neglecting my faith in Jesus Christ. Think about it, if I'm worried about something, that means that I'm taking things too much into my own hands. I think that only I am responsible for the outcomes in my life, and doubting my own ability, instead of sharing the burden with Christ and having faith in his power to magnify my abilities. If I have faith in Christ, then I have the peace to know that everything will work out. Even if there are troubles and problems, it will all end up ok. I don't need to worry about it. With faith, I can calmly face life. I am also more productive, because instead of wasting time worrying, I am calmly and steadily making progress. I am more content. Knowing this principle is true doesn't necessarily make it easy to live. I often forget about it and have to remind myself to have faith and not worry.
I think this principle is demonstrated by the woman in the story that Elder D. Todd Christofferson told in his talk "The Power of Covenants." This woman lost her house and all her belongings in a massive earthquake. Her family, however, was ok. A church leader inquired as to her situation and remarked that she was still smiling in spite of her loss. She replied, "Yes. I have prayed and I am at peace." How simple and profound! There were a million things she could be worried about at that moment. But she prayed and she felt peace. She had faith, and thus she did not worry. She knew God would take care of her.
And I've come to a conclusion: if I'm worrying, I'm neglecting my faith in Jesus Christ. Think about it, if I'm worried about something, that means that I'm taking things too much into my own hands. I think that only I am responsible for the outcomes in my life, and doubting my own ability, instead of sharing the burden with Christ and having faith in his power to magnify my abilities. If I have faith in Christ, then I have the peace to know that everything will work out. Even if there are troubles and problems, it will all end up ok. I don't need to worry about it. With faith, I can calmly face life. I am also more productive, because instead of wasting time worrying, I am calmly and steadily making progress. I am more content. Knowing this principle is true doesn't necessarily make it easy to live. I often forget about it and have to remind myself to have faith and not worry.
I think this principle is demonstrated by the woman in the story that Elder D. Todd Christofferson told in his talk "The Power of Covenants." This woman lost her house and all her belongings in a massive earthquake. Her family, however, was ok. A church leader inquired as to her situation and remarked that she was still smiling in spite of her loss. She replied, "Yes. I have prayed and I am at peace." How simple and profound! There were a million things she could be worried about at that moment. But she prayed and she felt peace. She had faith, and thus she did not worry. She knew God would take care of her.
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