Ambushing the Joy Suckers (click to comment)

We all love to laugh, but some people don’t want us to. I once asked famous author and preacher Chuck Swindoll what he takes the most flack for. “Humour,” he said. He’s not alone. I receive lots of mail and most people are very kind. But some aren’t happy with the thought of Christians laughing. I asked Chuck how he deals with it. He said, “Some people want you to be as miserable as they are and I’m not getting on that bus.” Amen!

Maybe you’ve met sour people whose lemon-like faces are cemented in a downward scowl. Genetics didn’t help them, but chances are they’ve been sampling the forbidden prune of worry. This is one of the leading joy-suckers out there and most of us are guilty of it.

Here’s information I’ve found in my Inbox alerting me to emergencies I had no idea I needed to worry about:

– Don’t lick bank envelopes. You’ll die.
– Cold water causes cancer.
– KFC chickens are mutants.
– Go to sleep at a party and you could wake up without a kidney.

If chronic worry is pulverizing your complexion, ulcerizing your kidneys and keeping you from the joy God intended, the cure is about 30 seconds away. Listen carefully. This truth has the power to change your life. It comes from God’s Word.

Phil 4:6-7. “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down.”

Each time worry arrives show it through the door of prayer, because the more we pray, the less we panic. Each morning, wake up right. Say a prayer of thanks for God’s mercy & faithfulness. And at night turn things over to God and sleep. He’ll be up all night anyway.

Remember that God gave us today. Tomorrow is none of my beeswax. So rejoice, relax and reflect on God’s goodness. Oh, and read e-mails sometimes. One just arrived that should fix all my worries. Bill Gates is sending me $150,000! Now is your time to be honest, do you ever worry?  Is there a verse you think on when worry rears its ugly head? I’d love to hear it. If you have yet to find one, feel free to take mine!