Don't Worry, It's Just the Cookie Monster!

"Mommy don't worry, it's just the cookie monster." This is what my two and a half year old daughter reassured me of the other day. As I was putting her in her car seat she must have intuitively known that I was trying very hard not to worry. Children have an awareness that we seem to lose as we grow up and become adults, then spend our adult lives trying to get it back.

I thought about what she said. "It's only the cookie monster."

Only a child would come up with such a simple way for us adults to face our challenges and problems. So now, whenever I start to even worry the littlest, tiniest bit about anything I just replay in my mind what she said.

"Don't worry, it's only the cookie monster."

And what is the "cookie monster?' He is a cute, harmless character from Sesame Street. All he wants to do is eat cookies. He is friendly, easy going and liked by all the other characters on Sesame Street. In other words, he is not a monster at all. At least not in a scary sort of way.

So what God was trying to convey to me by speaking through my daughter, is that He (God) hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Tim. 1:7)

God truly does work in mysterious ways. He was telling me that He has it all in control and that worrying won't solve my problems, but will actually add to them. Even Science agrees with that. Worry is a cruel task master. And the longer we stay in bondage to it, the tougher it is to be freed from it.

I have never met anyone that has said they are better off because they worry a lot. We all know the opposite is true. So what can any of us do to overcome this oppressor called worry? All oppressed people throughout history had someone on their side with massive power and influence working on their behalf.

The children of Israel had Moses, and Moses had God. Any Questions?

Black American slaves had Abraham Lincoln, and Abe had abolitionist and an army, and the abolitionist and the armies had history and in history, no one group oppresses another forever.

So next time worry comes charging your way with shackles in hopes of putting you in bonds, what will you say to worry? You see worry wants to chain you to your problem. It wants you to be shackled with your problem or challenge without any hope of being set free. Worry knows if it can get you focused in a hopeless way on your problem, you will keep it longer.

So now it is time to be loosed from your problems and turn worry into faith, courage, perseverance, triumph, victory, love, hope, peace, joy...

How? By speaking not to God about how BIG your problem is, but by speaking to your problem about how Big & Powerful & Almighty Your God is. When you begin to Praise God for victory even before you have it, worry has to flee.

When you tell your situation that Your God has it all in control, doubt will no longer feel welcome in your life.

When you set your focus on God's ability, discouragement can no longer be seen in your rear view mirror because God is everywhere at once. All you will see is the glory and magnificence of God!

You're saying, yeah, but you don't know what I'm going through. True, I may not know what you are going through, but I do know what He went through for you and for me. There is no greater Love than a man would lay down his life for a friend.

So think about all those men and women overseas who are right now laying down their lives so you and I can do what? Sit home an worry or complain or gripe? No, we can never allow their sacrifice to mean so little. Just as we can never allow the price Jesus paid on the cross to mean so little.

I followed a man on twitter this week and this was one of his tweets: @paulvharris: If I can meet my beautiful wife AFTER being burned over 85%- what amazing things can do?

He then went on to say...@paulvharris: As I literally was burning alive I knew it was the fear of taking action that was going to kill me -Paul V Harris

So what are you worrying about again? This guy puts us all to shame. If we can not accomplish in a "whole body" what he accomplished in a "burned body," then we are wasting our lives and just taking up space on earth.

Stop! Stop the insanity right now. Start living life with purpose and passion and meaning. And that has nothing to do with your finances, but everything to do with your decision to just do it. Your decision to take action.

So you are still thinking, yeah but you don't know what it's like to hold a hungry child in your arms and have no idea how you are going to feed that child. Perhaps not, but I do know what it is like to watch my mother die of cancer. To watch her melt away for fifteen months right before my very eyes. To pray to God to heal her, and at the same time also ask Him if you are not going to heal her, then take her quickly so she will not suffer any longer.

How do we get through these difficult times? Know that some things you just can not control or fix or change. Those things are up to God and God alone. It still amazes me that people get upset over little trifles. Like a friend mentioned to me today. What can anyone do when the light is red and they are in a hurry. Nothing! Yet they get all worked up over something they can not control, and getting all worked up over it usually sets in motion for them to miss every other light on their route.

Again, I take us back to overseas. There they are hoping their convoy will not be blown to bits. I know all to well as my cousin was killed in Iraq when his Humvee was blown up. And yet, we go through our days over here with little thought of how we treat each other and a shallow show of gratitude on a few select days of the year for our men and women in the armed forces- they deserve more from us.

What does this have to do with worry. I believe when you worry you are not in your right mind. If you are worrying it is because you are afraid and feel helpless and hopeless. There are two scriptures which prove this. The first one you already read above. the second one says, A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. (James 1:8)

There it is. If you are worrying you can not be also exercising faith. You are unstable and without a sound mind. How can you make good decisions on the road, on the job, in your home with your family, in relationships or anywhere? You can not.

But some of you may still be thinking, "But you don't understand?"

You are right. I do not understand. That is why I do not lean to my own understanding. It will get me all messed up mentally if I do. I lean on the everlasting arms of Jesus. I did not understand why my 44 year old brother had to die so suddenly last year. I watched another loved one slip away from this life and trusted God to get me though that tough time - and He did.

So the next time you start worrying about finances just say, "it's just the cookie monster." And then give God thanks. Find as many things as you can to be grateful for.

When that challenge comes you way, "It's just the cookie monster." and Praise God for thr victory!

No matter what you face, just say, "It's just the cookie monster." and find someone you can serve and bless who is less fortunate than you are...and I guarantee you there are millions of people to choose from.

And when you are grateful to God for everything, it is impossible to be unhappy or to worry. So give Him thanks in all things, and especially when you feel the chains of worry or doubt trying to bind you up. Brake free and praise God with all your heart, mind and strength.

Be Thankful and Break Free to a Life of Abundance and Joy!


Copyright® 2009 Anita Crawford Clark All Rights Reserved Worldwide