Don't Worry...Be Happy!

 I am reading a really great book right now called, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. It has been such a great read, and so encouraging. As I have been reading, I have been learning about different cultures that I quite frankly was not aware of at all. They all have such interesting customs and rituals. The information I will be sharing with you comes from my study from this book and also from the internet. I hope you find it as interesting as I did!

On the Greek Island of Naxos the pace of life is unhurried, olive trees line the island's rocky shores as turquoise waters shimmer in the harbor. This island is largely untouched by technology and the information age. Naxos has remained the same for centuries. When you step on to this beautiful island, I am told that the first thing you notice are the string of beads worn by many people. You will see the old, the young, the rich, the poor...everyone wears these beads. They are called "komboloi beads" or also known as "worry beads". Komboloi beads are a very old Greek custom. The islanders finger the beads and moved them around their necks or wrists all day long. The beads are intended to relieve stress and reduce worry. It is expected that while wearing these beads one will experience comfort, and that in the process of handling these precious beads it will cut down on all anxiety.

Komboloi Beads - or "Worry Beads"

 I found it intriquing and when I looked up the pictures of the Island of Naxos, I fell in love with its beauty. No wonder the pace is slow and unhurried. It is gorgeous there! I think my worries would fade as well. Maybe I should visit just to see? Well, these beads may be a quaint ancient custom, but we too have our own "worry beads" rituals that we may not even realize we partake in. For instance, we may bite our nails, pace back and forth, bite the inside of our mouth (I have a horrible habit of that...it's not attractive!!), we may lie awake at night (yep, that has been me too!!). We spend hours twisting our mental fingers around a specific circumstance or worry...trying to manipulate it, figure it out, solve it...yet we don't seem to quite figure it out. We do all of this because of worry!

Now, understand I am and have been a number one offender of this. So I am in no way preaching to anyone! I am sharing what I have learned, mostly because I find it helpful to myself and think, "hmmmm, maybe someone else will get a kick out of this too"...so hopefully you will enjoy! =) Over the years, the use of komboloi beads has declined, but it looks like it is making a comeback! These ancient stress reducers are showing up all over the place and not just in Naxos.




These komboloi beads come in many colors, while amber is the most common color.

 Komboloi beads were first used in other cultures for the sole purpose of counting prayers. Bead by bead, prayer by prayer, the komboloi beads were an outward expression of a godward heart. Today, you can find executives in Armani suits flick their fingers over ivory beads and smooth black stones...hip young Greeks twirl their strings of beads, comparing styles and price tags...I wonder if they truly know where the komboloi beads originated?!

We have a choice today as to what we can do with our worry. We can lift it up in prayer...or we can choose to worry. I am learning that when I surrender my concerns and worries to God, it lightens my load. When I choose to worry about things, I become stressed, sick, unstable, confused, discouraged, unhappy...the list can go on and on. Today is all I have. This moment is all I can focus on...and to truly LIVE in this life, I need to let go of my worry and start enjoying life!

Why worry??

There have been some interesting events occur in my life as of recent! I am learning a lot about how my thoughts aren't God's thoughts...my "plans" aren't always in line with His plans...therefore I have to stop and listen. Those are the moments I am convinced that I have ADHD...my mind races, scenarios play and replay in my mind of what could have, should have, would have...and I become this distracted train wreck! Thankfully the God I love is patient and faithful! He knows just how to grab my attention.

My very short-lived move to NYC was actually one of the best things to happen at this time in my life. Am I bummed that I am no longer in the city that never sleeps...well, sure there is a part of me that LOVES NYC and can't get enough of the hustle and bustle!! It's such a great melting pot of just about everything! My move to NYC sparked a desire in my heart...one that fizzled out a long time ago and would try to restart but would burn out before it ever caught flame. While preparing to go to NYC, God brought my heart back to life...I began desiring His presence more and began seeking His will for my life. My faith was being renewed and brought back to life. I sold everything...even my sweet Stella (my BMW Z3 Roadster Convertible)...just to move into a situation that I had no idea how it would unfold, literally had about $50 to my name, and a  heart that was just willing to follow!

For the first time ever in my Christian walk (I have been a Christian for 29 years) I learned how to depend fully on God to supply my need. I didn't have money...yet just when I was about to run out, He supplied! It was amazing to see...and He is still supplying my need now. One of the biggest things I learned and the biggest thing that changed in my life when I went to NYC was I learned to trust God. I have been known to be a HUGE worrier, I really have been, yet now when I catch myself worrying I give it to God.

Here is why:
Proverbs 12:25 says, "An anxious heart weighs a man down,"...Jesus asked in Matthew 6:27, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Honestly when it comes down to it...worry is a waste of time. Worry short circuits our relationships with other people and especially with God. It fixes our eyes on our situation rather than on our Savior. In the New Testament, the words most often used for worry and anxiety come from the Greek word, meridzoe, which means "to be divided, to be pulled in opposite directions, to choke". Jesus said in Matthew 6:25 (AMP), "Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life."

I love to read...and find myself in a couple of books at the same time. Right now one of the books I am enjoying is a book my sister Lisa loaned to me called, "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World"...if you haven't read this book, it's a really great read! Do it! ;) The author of this book relates worry to a dense fog...this is what she said:

"It works a little like a thick London fog-the kind of fog that is legendary. However, while physical fog may seem dense and almost solid, scientist tell us that a fog bank a hundred feet deep and covering seven city blocks is composed of less than one glass of water. Divided into billions of droplets, it hasn't much substance. Yet it has the power to bring an entire city to a standstill. So it is with anxiety. Our mind disperses the problem into billions of fear droplest, obscuring God's face. Without him, one fear leads to another, and our lives slow to a painful crawl."

That is some gooooood stuff! =) I am happy to say that my level of worry has dropped...I no longer allow myself to become paralyzed by worries and anxiety...they have singlehandedly dismantled my life...derailed my dreams...and left me hopeless. I am unable to change the past...know what the future holds...all I have is the very moment that I am in. Worry and anxiety rob me of my life...but no more! It's a daily battle, but it is one that I am getting victory over! YAY!

I will leave you with this...Philippians 4:6-7 says this, "but in everything, by prayer and supplication (petition), with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which passes (transcends) all understanding, will gurard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." There are three practical and concise ways to victory over worry...they are spelled out in the above scripture:
1. Be anxious about nothing
2. Be prayerful about everything.
3. Be thankful for all things.

We all need a friend to encourage us and to assure us that we can have victory over things such as worry...if we continue to work together and stay focused on the ONE who can take our worries and give us peace we will indeed have victory over worry! I love you, my sweet friends!