Don’t Worry, Be Happy!

I know that during this pandemic, it is easy to get lost in its uncertainties. What will life look like at the end of all of this? Who have I become as a result? What am I going to do about work and finances? Is it safe to carry on with life or is it too soon? Why are non-essential businesses starting to open back up, yet there is no cure for COVID19? We are surely in a strange time, and worrying about what is going to happen next is natural, but I’d like to present to you, that worrying about your circumstances will not help. I love the song “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” (Bob Marley version).  One of the verses says “Listen to what I say. In your life expect some trouble. But when you worry, you make it double.”  Life can be difficult at times, but I have found that worrying about problems only makes them worse. Whenever worried about something, it consumed me. I didn’t want to hang out with friends or family, and I didn’t do my best at work or other commitments that I had. Worrying shuts down everything positive that is going on around us. Did you wake up this morning? Do you have clothes on your back and food to eat? Even if you only have a couple slices of bread and a can of tuna fish, you can make a sandwich! Sometimes we look at all of the things that we don’t have, instead of being grateful for the things that we do have. One of my favorite passages in the bible that helps me when start to struggle with worry and anxiety is Matthew 6:25-34. Take a few minutes to read these scriptures for yourself.  What you give your energy to, will give it life. Don’t give life to worry, give life to happiness through gratitude.