Being a manager only lasted about 3 years. In my engineering career, I've been properly mentored to think that managers were useless but I found myself acting as a manager while my base established a new division focused on my type of work. During that time, I developed a lot of catch-phrases to help employees cope with inner-office conflicts, work-life balance, and other forms of workplace stress.
One phrase I found myself using frequently was "The Fleet won't sink tomorrow because you decided to take a few hours off." I ran an organization that was extremely devoted to their mission and to delivering more capability to the Navy. As such, many would stress about staying late to meet a deadline or canceling vacation so they wouldn't fall behind on a project. Whenever those situations would arise, I'd remind them that the Fleet isn't going to spontaneously combust just because they wanted to take a few hours to make their wife dinner or to take a day of vacation to take care of chores around the house. As much as I appreciate being stressed, there were few things that couldn't wait a few hours.
In a world as hyperbolic as ours, everything is conveyed in a way that makes situations seem more dire than they are. We have to worry about our appearances. We have to worry about how people think we handle our home-life. We have to worry about our career. We have to worry about the latest political issue threatening to destroy our society and human civilization itself!
What if... and follow me here... we didn't have to worry all the time?
“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 than food, and the body more than clothes? (Matthew 6:25)
God knows our hearts and sees how we can tear ourselves apart. He sees how the world attacks us through perceived weaknesses and how worry can divert our attention away from what God has laid before us today. This is why Christ tells us to not worry about the things of this world; instead, "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness" (vs 33).
If I'm being honest with you, I have suffered tremendously from anxiety which used to drive my mind to very dark places. I would feel trapped; like I didn't have anywhere I could realistically vent my frustrations and worries. Some days, it would lead to me spending hours watching TV or playing video games just to run away from the anxieties building up inside. In time I learned that this could be overcome by taking a moment to stop, consciously telling myself to take a "break" from my current worry, and remind myself that I don't exist one hour from now, one day from now, or one week from now. I only exist in the present and that is all there is to worry over. Whatever I am concerned about can wait a few more hours; maybe when "tomorrow" becomes "today", God will see me more prepared to deal with whatever life is throwing at me.. but that's tomorrow's problem.
I wish I could say I always realized this was Biblical, but I was pleasantly surprised when I read vs 34: "Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Your soul may be weighted down by physical, emotional, social, or spiritual concerns, but I encourage you to stop, take a breath, and remember that God has placed you right here, right now. He hasn't placed you one day from now or one week from now, so why waste more than a few moments worrying about what hasn't (or may never) happen?
Breath, take a moment to be silent, and simply know that He is God. Let tomorrow worry about itself.
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