Have you ever heard the story of the “Worry Box”? I heard a pastor use it in his sermon a number of years ago. It goes something like this:
The head of a major corporation had an appointment in his office. During that meeting the corporate head wrote something on a piece of paper and then put it in a box on the corner of his desk. At the conclusion of the meeting he was asked by the other person about the box and what he had placed in it.
The corporate executive referred to it as his “worry box”. He went on to say that life gives us many opportunities to worry and if we take them all they could be paralyzing. So, he determined to worry only one day a week, Wednesday. Each time he was faced with something to worry about he would write it down and put it in the box until the following Wednesday. He said he soon found that each Wednesday when he opened the box many of the worries had been already taken care of. The Lord, prayer and time had handled them.
Several years back I was able to share this story with a friend and her young daughter-in-law. I gave the daughter-in-law a metal heart basket and I encouraged her to hang it in her kitchen or bedroom and place her worries in it. I hope she is still using it.
Sometimes we need visible reminders of Biblical principles. A worry box is just that.
“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” I Peter 5:7 NLT
Some weeks it seems that we could fill an entire yellow pad with the situations that are trying to unnerve us. We might need a bigger box. But, no matter how many things we put into the box our God is able to handle them all. He never puts a limit on His ability to help. We’ll never hear “daily limit, 5 items”. We have been given free access for whenever.
His word is clear: “So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:16 CEV
I read and saved this writing by Max Lucado about worry. I love how the Lord takes our worries and replaces them with trust and joy!
“Take your problems to Jesus. Don’t take them out on others. Temper tantrums never advance a cause. The moment you sense a problem, however large or small, take it to Christ. I can almost hear you say, ‘Max if I take my problems to Jesus every time I have one, I’m going to be talking to Jesus all day long.’ Now you’re getting the point!
The Bible reminds us not to “worry about anything; instead pray about everything; tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this you’ll experience God’s peace” (Philippians 4:6-7).
An unprayed-for problem is an embedded thorn. It festers and infects—first the finger, then the hand, then the entire arm. Best to go straight to the person who has the tweezers. Let Jesus take care of you. He knows about thorns!“
At the start of this week, if need be, find a box, pen and paper and give your worries over to the Lord. He always manages our problems better than we do.
This couldn’t have come at a better time. My daughter in law Emily is who Kristi gave this box to. It hangs in her kitchen, you see it as you walk in. I was on the phone with Emily yesterday and all the things we talked about could fill the box and more would flow to the floor. Later in the day I got a text, internet wasn’t working, she needed to work from home…….add this to the box. Sure enough, it started working later, it wasn’t even Wednesday yet. When I see the box in her home I’m reminded of the love Kristi has for all of us!