Come Explore the Worry Free Zone! (update)

Sunday Gospel of Matthew 6:24

Are you stressed out? Do you worry about the future?

This past Sunday we explored some ideas on how we can get into a Worry Free Zone this Lent. In our Gospel we hear Jesus teaching us how to live our lives - without worrying so much! We tend to worry about all sorts of things that don't really matter, and the worrying doesn't help us live a more passionate life or enjoy a single second more of our life, it actually brings us down.

In order to stop worrying about things - I like to use what I call the MIG Method.
It stands for Mindful, Intentional and Grateful.

Mindfulness is about slowing down and having a greater sense of focus about life. This Lent I am going to try to be more mindful by putting my iPhone away when I am with someone. I tend to have it out all the time, checking emails, or texts or Facebook, and it distracts me from being really present for the people who I am talking to. I'm not going to worry about what might be on my iPhone and I am going to make a more conscious effort to really focus on the people around me.

Intentional means saying a big YES and being deliberate and purposeful about decisions. And when we say YES, it also means saying NO to many other things. For me, I have wanted to listen to some incredible lectures given by Father Richard Rohr that are on CD, but I find that I never get to them because I waste so much time watching ridiculous things on TV when I come home from work. So I'm going to try to not worry about what I might be missing on TV and hopefully I will  actually finally listen to these great CD's and experience something really  transformational in my spirituality this Lent.

Gratitude is truly the antidote to worry and stress. You can't be filled with gratitude and worried or stressed out at the same time! I've noticed that when I come home from work I talk to my wife about all the stress and bad things that happened that day. For Lent I am going to stop worrying about whatever may have gone wrong at work and instead focus on being grateful for the sacrament of my marriage. I've been blessed to be married to my best friend, soul mate and lover for 33 years (this July 11th) and I am going to focus on how grateful I am to have Stacey in my life and what a blessing she is to me.

So this Lent I am giving up worrying!

I hope that you and your family come up with some great ideas that will make the 40 days of Lent a time of great peace and meditation and transformation in your life. And I'd love to hear what you are doing this Lent so feel free to send me an email at danny@deacondanny.com or to post something on the Deacon Danny Facebook!

Blessings to you and your family!
Grace + Peace,
Danny Amos