On Life 61 – The Circle of Worry – January 17, 2017

   Having spoken of happiness, we made it a point that it never resides with hatred. In like manner, happiness is gone from man’s life when hatred inhabits his heart, it is also negatively affected, or might disappear, through worry.

   If you want to be happy, stop worrying. Worry is a negative feeling that alights upon man’s life. It becomes like a destructive storm. When man gives in to worry, his creative energy changes to desperate attempts to survive the storm. Thus, he cannot capitalize on it in any success: for worry is accompanied by a straying mind, a difficulty in concentration, and an inability to think objectively. Severe worry causes physical ailing.

   Some people worry from the past, which destroys the present and steals the future. Others worry about their future. So, they cannot use their talents. Thus, they spend their life in a conflict with vague feelings that forfeit the future. To exit the circle of worry, train yourself to thank God for the blessings He grant you and the evils He protects you from. This is positive thinking which effects change in your life.

   Preoccupying oneself with positive things ease one’s worries and attracts him to advancing, overcoming the challenges and obstacles he encounters. Dale Carnegie says, “If you want to stop worrying and start a new life, count your blessings, not troubles. This is a rule of thumb.”

   Another effective way for avoiding worry is to preoccupy oneself with work: be it a bread-bringing job, or one of charity through which he supports others. A life full of achievement, effort, and care for helping others has no space for being overwhelmed with destructive worry. So much so, that a wisdom reads, “It is not work, but worry, that kills.”

   Finally, trust God the Almighty who runs the universe and all its affairs. Trust His love. The past and present are in His hands. So, whoever worries is like one who insists on seeing clouds hiding sunlight. Just do your best, and sleep soundly. The universe has a just God who watches, listens, and rewards everybody according to his deeds. Remember Pope Kirollos VI’s words, “Nothing under the sun can disturb me, for I am protected by that mighty fortress, inside the trustworthy asylum, reassured in the bosom of the merciful, winning the source of comfort.”

   We are but travelers. Yet, one day, we shall return. So, move on peacefully, trusting that in heaven there is a God who will never leave us in confusion.

General Bishop

Head of the Coptic Orthodox Culture Center