Habitually Late and Blogging Challenge Day 10: Something You’re Afraid Of

If you know me, you know that I am not the most prompt person in the world. I don’t really know what’s wrong with me, but it really doesn’t bother me at all to be late to really anything. I try and try and try and try to be bothered by being late, but I just can’t kick the habit of nonchalance. Often, I’ll start a week determined to just be perhaps 5 minutes late, instead of 15 minutes late – or even…. On Time? I haven’t even ventured the thought of being “early” – that is to be conquered another time. Just ask Jason and he can tell you the countless excuses for why it is “okay” for to be late: “I stay late at work every night,” “I’m never the last one there,” “This memory foam on our bed makes it impossible to get up,” “My 3 alarms didn’t all go off in proper sequence,”…. you know the drill.

Well, unfortunately, this bad habit has followed me right into the blogosphere with my habitually late posts. This is especially evident when I attempt some sort of Blog Challenge, demonstrated by the 30-day blog challenge that I started WAY back in October – and I’m still on Day 10! Equally bad is my Wedding Week that has turned into Wedding Month and then some.

However, if I have any redeeming quality, it is determination. I will eventually finish, if its the last thing I do. So here goes, post 10 of my 30-day challenge:

Something You’re Afraid of:

I’ll get brutally honest with this one. I’m a natural-born worrier. I think it is the planner in me that gets me going. This is normally the sequence. I’ll start thinking about the future. Then, I’ll start planning the future. Then I’ll start adding dates and details to my plans, making them more and more elaborate. Then, it will dawn on me that something could go wrong with my exquisite plan. Then, when I realize that just one change could set my plans askew I start to worry about it!

The first large worry I can remember is that I wouldn’t find a husband. Then, I worried that I would find the right one, that God had planned for me, but that he would be ugly – lol. Luckily neither of these worries came true!

Then, once we got married, I worried about if Jason was going to get into Physical Therapy school and if I was going to get a job and make enough money. Again, after many answered prayers and life lessons, these fears did not come true.

Granted, I do realize that these are more “worries” than “fears”. I’ll throw some legit fears I had when I was younger:

Afraid of ET (from the movie)
Afraid of the dentist finding any cavities
Afraid of not being able to fall asleep at camp (this was during an odd short spell of insomnia I had as a kid)
Afraid of burglars- but what kid isn’t?

Now, my legit fears include: not being able to have kids, pain in child-birth (really dreading that one!), our house being broken into (especially when I’m home alone without Jason), losing my job, anything bad happening to the ones I love. I guess that’s it.

Luckily, my worrying tendencies have taught me a lot about the Lord. He has taught me in his word what to do as soon as worrying or fear sets in.

“Do not fret-it only leads to evil.” Psalm 37:8b – This verse tells me that worrying only leads to sin. When we allow ourselves to worry, it is a sign that we aren’t fully trusting in the Lord.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 – God’s yolk is easy and his burden is light. We aren’t meant to carry all of our worries on our own. It is better to find rest in God.

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” Matthew 6:25 – the end of Matthew 6 is always a good read when I am getting wrapped up in a worry.

I hope that encourages you other worriers/planners out there. I’ll be back soon *crossing fingers* with post 11!