One of my favorite songs from the Disney hit Lion King is “Hukuna Matata.” The lyrics go like this…
Hukuna Matata! What a wonderful phrase
Hukuna Matata! Ain’t no passing craze
It means no worries for the rest of your days
It’s our problem-free philosophy
Is this really possible? Can we really live like this? Well, maybe for a moment…or for a day…but for the rest of our lives? Because I grew up in a house of worry–and I know that many of you have too. It took me a long time to realize I didn’t have to live a life of worry. Anxiety did not have to be a part of me. Worry is a trait that can be traced WAY back in my family tree. It is a gift that has kept on giving. One generation after another after another. But let me remind you that not every gift is a good gift. And there are some gifts that should be returned. And worry is one of those gifts. Worry is a gift we do not have to take or keep on giving.
In my family, if there wasn’t something serious to worry about, we would make something up. We would worry about whether it was going to rain or be too stinking hot, worry about what to give Uncle Billy for his birthday, worry about what to wear to church on Sunday, worry about what I said may have offended my best friend, worry that my angel food cake won’t turn out right, worry that I’ll hit all red lights and be late for my meeting, worry that I didn’t pay the bills on time, worry that I didn’t do a good enough job and my boss won’t like me. Worry. Worry. Worry. I’ve watched people for many years now, and I quickly realized when I became a mother “worry can be caught, not taught.”
I never had to sit my children down and teach them how to worry. I never had to say to my oldest daughter,“Now Avery, when Shelby takes your doll away, after 5 minutes, then you need to begin to worry that she will never give it back. And that’s how we worry. We worry when things don’t go our way. We worry when we don’t get what we want. We worry when we don’t know what to do.”
It’s no surprise we are all familiar with worry.
So, I want to ask you a tough question today..“What worries you?” “What is your greatest fear?” The root of worry is unbelief. When we struggle to accept God’s Word as truth, we become consumed with worry.
Fill in the blanks below with your worry or fear. Recount God’s Word as truth. Let’s be honest with one another…God is able to handle your biggest fear. He’s got this thing! Let’s start believing He can!
“If __________________________, then God will take care of me.” Psalm 27:10
“If __________________________, then God still has a plan for me.” Psalm 48:14
“If __________________________, then God will continue to work all things together for my good.” Romans 8:28
“If _________________________, God’s grace is sufficient for me.” 2 Cor. 12:9
I know we will never completely master our worry. Life continues to throw us grenades of anxiety and fear. But here’s the good news…we have a faithful God who never leaves us or forsakes us. He is always available to answer our call.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Phil. 4:6