Five Things We Miss Out on When We Worry

I could occasionally be considered a worry wart. Call me a woman haha. I have really been starting to stress out about a lot of little/big things. Such as, whether or not I am going to be a good mom to this sweet little baby we are bringing into the world, and how we are going to pay for all the medical bills, and baby needs, and how I am going to continue with school for another 3 years.Yada yada yada yada woe is me.

As I said my morning prayers, I was reminded of this quote from my favorite prophet of all time. I can just here his sweet voice reminding me that I am forgetting to have faith. The Lord doesn't leave us behind. As I pondered throughout the rest of my morning, I really started to realize that worrying doesn't solve anything. In fact, it makes you miss out on a quite a few things. Here are 5 things that I thought of this morning:

1 - Seeing the Good in the Present Day
When we are constantly thinking, and worrying about the future, how are we possibly going to enjoy that day we are living in? Worrying makes it harder to appreciate the little mercies and joys that happen in our day to day lives. Like your favorite cereal being on sale at the grocery store, and you saved a whole $1.75, or a stranger lets you turn left in front of them in a busy intersection simply because they are feeling nice, or your favorite song came on the radio all three of the times you were in the car, or the best part of the day when the man you love most finally comes home from work. Live in the day, and appreciate the little joys.

2 - Peace of Mind
Worrying causes/is stress! I hate stress. It sends my neck and back into all kinds of knots which then turns me into a grumpy wife. We just need to trust the Lord, give life our all, and just like President Hinckley said, we must move forward with faith. Peace of mind, is far far far far better than a back full of muscle knots.  

"Living the gospel does not mean the storms of life will pass us by, but we will be better prepared to face them with serenity and peace. 'Search diligently, pray always, and be believing,' the Lord admonished, 'and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly.'"
--Joseph B. Wirthlin

3 - Gratitude Goes Down the Drain 
Constantly worrying about the little things makes it super easy to take all of the many blessings we have for granted. When we are constantly worrying, there's no more room in our brain to be thankful for the food that we have in our fridges, or the shoes we can put on our feet, and our safety and shelter, or for having the opportunity to get an education, or for the job that you have. Worrying cause selfishness.

 "Gratitude is of the very essence of worship. … When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance and conceit and egotism, you walk with a spirit of thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives".

--Gordan B Hinckley

4 - Promptings from the Holy Ghost 

When we spend all of our free time worrying, how are we ever going to hear promptings from the Holy Spirit? I feel like he is a pretty important person to be listening to, since he is literally Heavenly Father's messenger. I definitely don't want to let something as silly as worrying get in the way of promptings that I need to hear. 

 "With all the blessings our modern age has given to us, let us not give up the things that promote the workings of the Holy Ghost."
--Neil L. Andersen

5 - Ruined Relationships With People Around You, and With God

Once again, worrying takes up all the spare space in our heads... how do we have the extra time to work on relationships with those around us? Not that I have ruined my relationship with my husband at all, however, I can see how me worrying could lead to an unhappy marriage. He comes home from work. I'm grumpy. I have a gazzillion things on my mind that I have to tell him and make him aware of. I neglect a welcome home kiss, or even a welcome home hug. I neglect asking how his day was and go off on a selfish rant of all the things that either need to be done, or that I am not happy about. How unfair is it to neglect my cute Kent?? How unfair is it to neglect Heavenly Father??? He has blessed me in countless ways. How could I be so selfish to not have faith in him that everything is going to work out.

Well, I'm done worrying, (at least I'm working on being done). Life is stressful, and brings some pretty crazy rides in our direction. But, President Hinckley's words are going to always be in my head. "Don't Worry! The Lord will not forsake us."