You need to stop worrying and do this...

Forgive me Lagosians…(eko onibaje o!) but I have never liked Lagos, seriously. I hate the traffic, the stress, the busy-ness, the noise , all the hustle and bustle of Lagos life .(Ahem) I also think people there are too serious they don’t even take a time off to laugh.

After my NYSC, I stayed a few months in Lag (because of circumstances beyond my control). During my first few days I took the liberty to observe the faces of the people I pass on the street or meet in the buses…haba! No one was smiling.Faces were creased into a frown. Was it because of the brilliant glare of the afternoon sun? Or was it stress? Hardship? I couldn’t tell. Probably stress. People are too stressed out worrying and trying to make ends meet. The only people you may see with even a little smirk of contentment on their faces are the people behind the wheels, in their Aced cars lounging and cruising their way to work. Chai! Life ain’t funny. We get so burdened that we don’t even take out time for a little bit of fun. It’s always work work work from Monday to Sunday. No rest. No Leave. No transfer. Then our body breaks down because it’s being overworked physically by plenty stress and psychologically by too much worrying. And then the little money we happen to garner we throw it away on medications and hospital bills. Or some people don’t even bother to go to hospital, their health deteriorate and may be die. So who now enjoys the money? Definitely someone else who doesn’t even know how hard he worked for it.

So what will you gain by worrying? Nothing. It adds nothing to you but it removes from you. That was why Jesus said we shouldn’t worry about anything. Philippians 4:7 also reinforced His command, ‘Do not worry about anything instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace and His peace will guard your hearts and minds’ as you live in Jesus. That’s how you handle worry: Pray and give God thanks. For as you do this, God’s peace envelops your heart and keeps you strong through that situation.
I can hear someone say: ‘But I have been praying. It seems not to be working. I have received no answer.’ I will say never give up. God’s answer is as sure as the dawn. It may not be your timing but God is never late and His timing is ALWAYS perfect. Have faith!
Life has its ups and downs. Difficult times will come I guarantee you that but what should be your response to these life issues? Worry and more worries? No. Or is it to take a drastic decision that may have a negative impact on the people around you or your future? No. Your response should be to stop worrying and focus on the wonderful things God has done and is still doing in your life and thank Him. When we allow our worries dictate our actions it always ends in misery,frustration and wrong choices. So I will say: Stop worrying. God is in control.