The Thing That Wouldn’t Leave

By Bill Herried

Worry partying in your head?

I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. —Psalm 34:4

Back in the early days of Saturday Night Live, John Belushi did a sketch about a guy who would always be the last one at the party. Long after everyone had left and gone home, he would still be there, late into the night, wide awake, rude, driving his hosts crazy.

The sketch was called “The Thing That Wouldn’t Leave.” Here is a sample from the show.

Worry is like that.

Ever had a worry come to your mind that wouldn’t leave? We all have. For me it is usually something small—insignificant—yet it plays over and over in my mind.

I’ve tried ignoring a worry, but it didn’t help. When I first became aware of my attempt to downplay it, I remember saying to myself, “That’s silly—it’s not a big deal! I’m not going to think about it. I’ll put it out of my mind.”

And yet it wouldn’t leave. The more I denied it, the more it made itself at home in my thoughts.

Finally this came to mind: “Why don’t you take this to God? He tells us to bring our cares to him.” So I did.

Crazy what happened: It was gone. It left!

No worry. No fear.

Peace.

Wow! If I had known this, I’d have sent it packing at the first thought. And—not that the issue was solved—but now I could deal with it without it consuming my thoughts.

Your Heavenly Father waits for you, patiently, to bring your worries to Him. And I think it puts a smile on his face when his children experience His peace— the peace of God that goes beyond our understanding.

Can I make a suggestion? The next time fear comes to party in your head, do this: Pray to your Heavenly Father. Tell him what is on your mind, thank him for his help and then watch what he does in your life.

And one last thing, would you let me know what God does through your experience? Love to hear what God does in our lives.

Peace.

Bill Herried is lead pastor at CenterPoint Christian Fellowship in Tacoma, Washington. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Washington in Seattle, and Master of Divinity from Corban University in Salem, Oregon. He is married to the most extraordinary woman on the planet. Together they have 3 adult children and 4 grandchildren, and loves a good biryani. You can learn more about Bill on his blog, Your Daily Encouragement

Feature Image by Gisela Merkuur from Pixabay