Part 3, Chapter 10
I am not the messiah, nor can I save anyone, so why would I worry about anything. I can’t fix anything by worrying. Anxiety means we don’t trust God. It means that we think that we can do it our way. Worry and anxiety doesn’t get anything more done except creating more anxiety and worry. “No work done with impetuosity and excitement was ever well done” (Introduction to the Devout Life, 95). It just leads to more and more agitation. “Just so those who are restless and eager, or full of noisy solicitude, never do much or well” (Introduction to the Devout Life, 95). What good is it to worry!!!
What we need is trust in the Lord. Trust means that He will provide and get us through. “In all your affairs lean solely on God’s providence, by means of which alone your plans can succeed” (Introduction to the Devout Life, 95). God alone, keeping our focus on our vertical relationship with God, will help us not to worry, because only He can get us through everything that comes our way. The way that God is calling us to succeed is to continually surrender to Him. As St. Mother Teresa said, “God doesn’t call us to be successful; He calls us to be faithful.” That is what we want to do rather than worry.
When worry or anxiety comes, we need to relate and converse with God about them. This is the solution to worry. He is the only one that will get us through. When I have worried about things and not brought it to the Lord, it gets bad, but in surrendering the anxiety to Him, it is amazing what happens. Surrender and trust is what is needed. The devout life lends itself to living this way. As St. Faustina was given by Jesus, “Jesus, I trust in you.” Keep saying it until we deeply believe it.
