Admittedly, I exercise as much for my mental health as for my physical health. Many of my students say the same thing. Moving our bodies and lifting heavy things brings us joy and the mental focus that is required means we’re not thinking our to-do lists, temporal concerns or worries — at least for a little while. Endorphins are released and we feel good afterward — refreshed and renewed and ready to tackle the day.
As much as I enjoy the benefits of exercise, it doesn’t come close to the benefits of relying on God through prayer and the sacraments to help me navigate the concerns and challenges of daily life.
As a woman of faith, I try not to allow myself to worry. Jesus calls us to cast our cares upon him and I try to do so, but I am still a work in progress. Some of us may be more naturally prone to worry due to a melancholic temperament. Some of us are naturally more carefree and perhaps less inclined to ruminate over problems. I would say that I’m somewhere I’m the middle, but overall I’m learning not to overthink or worry about difficult situations and interactions with people that I can’t change, past, present or future. A wise priest once told me that if you stay in the present, it’s a lot harder to worry as worries most often take us into the past and the future.
We know that worry isn’t holy and healthy. Worry doesn’t solve our problems and often affects our ability to pray and hear God’s voice, sleep well, be kind to those around us and so on. Sadly, our worries can escalate into more serious fear and anxiety which can impact us and our families on the emotional, physical and spiritual levels.
In Philippians 4:6-7, St. Paul said, “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
We truly need to ‘guard’ our hearts and minds from things that steal our peace, and that of course is different for each of us. Is it news, media or politics? Is if family or work situations? Is it times when we’ve made or mistake or fallen short? We can heed St. Paul’s call to give thanks for everything, good and bad, because it is permitted by God and he will bring good out of it and/or strengthen us to bear it.
Trusting that God cares about even our smallest worries, and giving God more freedom to work in our hearts, can move us out of the destructive behaviors of worry, fear and anxiety — and allow us to be strengthened by his grace and able to move forward with Christian joy in the midst of difficulties.
St. Francis de Sales said, “Do not fear what may happen tomorrow. The same loving Father who cares for you today will care for you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings.”
I am drawn to the word ‘imaginings’ in the St. Francis de Sales quote. Isn’t is true that we often let our imaginations run wild with what-if scenarios of all the things that could go wrong? If we really trust that God loves us and cares about every aspect of our lives, we can run to him like little children and talk to him candidly, lovingly, heart-to-heart. We can give him all of it with confidence and trust that he will respond.
If we replace our worry time with Jesus time, loving him and letting him love us, we might make real change in how we address our problems and live our lives with more grace and ease — even in the midst of life’s challenges.
St. Mary MacKillop said, “We must often feel weary and tired yet God brings us through all these things.”
As Catholic Christians, we are called to choose God over worry. I think that’s why one of my favorite scripture passages is Matthew 11:29-30, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
May we seek to be true prayer warriors, instead of worriers, giving all of our troubles to Jesus.