Who knew that I would receive a bit of great advice from Mr. Curtis Jackson, also known as 50 Cent. In an Oprah’s Next Chapter interview that aired well over a year ago, 50 Cent shared his views about life with Oprah Winfrey and said that he believed you should worry or pray, but you can’t do both. Simple, but pretty deep and very true advice. Yet, how many of us are guilty of doing both? I know I am.
Life can be complicated and, frankly, it’s difficult to eliminate worry from our way of being. Whether it’s about our marriages or our children, we tend to worry. It’s understandable, though, because worry is a natural human emotion. It doesn’t accomplish much, but for some reason it can seem like the right thing to do, right? After all, doesn’t it seem like we should worry if our kid is late coming home? Doesn’t it seem like we should worry a little bit if our spouse shuts down and stops communicating with us?
Doesn’t worrying mean we care?
The problem with worrying, though, is that it doesn’t change a single thing. It’s a wasted emotion that causes stress and anxiety. You can worry until you turn blue in the face; it has no impact on the potential outcome of a situation. And even more concerning is that fact that worrying can make things worst. When we worry, we are basically letting out emotions get the best of us and admitting that there is absolutely nothing else we can do.
But you see, you can do something else. You can choose prayer instead. First, let’s be clear. Some of the most worrying people I know are also prayerful people. They believe in God and His power. However, when a situation becomes overwhelming, they lose sight. It’s happened to me before. I have found myself so worried about how something might turn out, and often it’s something I am actually praying about – failing to recognize that it’s counter-intuitive for me to do both.
When you pray, you are essentially saying that you are putting things in God’s hands and you believe He will walk you through the problem and give you the tools to manage the situation. If you truly believe that God will do this, what is the point of worrying? Isn’t worrying simply saying, I believe, but…? We all know, however, that there really can’t be a but when it comes to God. We either truly believe in what God is capable of doing or we don’t. There should be no in between.
I plan to make a greater effort to worry less and pray more, knowing that I simply have to choose one. And really, the choice is simple. Why worry and give myself a bunch of gray hairs when I can just give it to God, knowing that He has the power to work things out – if I just believe.
When it comes to your marriage, your children, your career, your finances and your health, ask yourself what you usually do. Do you worry? Do you pray? Do you do both? I know I’ve been doing both, but I plan to kick worry to the curb and pray with all my might. To be honest, it’s nice to only have one thing to do when things get rough and I am glad that one thing involves talking to my maker.
BMWK Family, what do you when things get tough? Do you worry and pray? Can you just choose one?