But not worried but be careful

In the past catechesis, we had the opportunity to observe the apostles Peter and John and reflect on their way of action – they do not build an ideal, but live a daily life and take advantage of the opportunities that are available to them. This idea can also be applied to other areas. Especially the area of ​​its own worry. That is also an area where it is not easy to distinguish between true and false carelessness. Even in Scripture we find encouragement to both. In some situations Christ tells us not to be worried, in others to pay attention.

It is known that we are troubled by many things. We are more troubled by the inner ones than the outer ones. Sv. In this context, František Saleský writes in the Filothy: “People think so much about themselves, about their affairs and their meaning, and they are so confused that they do not know what they should actually want.” , in its own sin, truly kills man. Similarly, too much analysis of whether we are on the right track. The problem is that we can never objectively judge ourselves. We always evaluate ourselves according to how we feel about ourselves. It kills us with failure, we enjoy success, criticism takes our appetite for work, empty praise unreasonably encourages us to do nothing.

So how do we act? Should we care and watch over our lives, or should we totally rely on the Lord to be guided by life and not to solve some questions? Should we worry about the future of our children, our fellow men and control their every step, or should we rely on the Lord that He will take care of and trust that it will be good? Are we to press for the Christian upbringing of children and grandsons and still remind them of their duties, or can we rely on them to mature? Are we supposed to be worried about tomorrow and secure ourselves, or can we rely and live only for today? Should we analyze, drill in ourselves and discover the roots of our sins, or can we rely on them to rise to the surface without tackling it? Everyone would be able to give a number of examples of when worrying helped and when it did harm, as well as when reliance helped and when it did harm. There is no unequivocal answer in this respect, and even in the history of the Church we see different deviations from either one direction or the other. For example, the emergence of mendicant orders was inspired by the gospel radically of the founders, but everywhere later circumstances forced the founders’ enthusiasm to diminish.

Psychology clearly distinguishes between care and admission of worries. We should care, but not worry. Admitting worries leads to depression, anxiety, loss of freedom, restriction of the freedom of others, distrust, desire to control everything, to know about everything and the like. False carelessness leads to indifference, lounging, losing the desire to grow, crippling the initiative for the good.

Like everything, we all have a natural tendency towards one or the other. This is our tendency to discover and balance the opposite. If I tend to exaggerate in worry, it is important to grow in the virtues of trust. If I have a natural tendency not to deal with things, then we need to grow in virtues that lead to responsible cooperation. In this respect, we again come to the difference and complementarity between man and woman. Men tend to exaggerate carefree, women tend to be overwhelmed. Learning to trust and listen to each other can heal both. Well, again, be careful. Fear of one extreme, or disgust at being exaggerated in one direction, can very easily confirm that my extreme is better.

Further guidance could be found in the following example: It is good if the driver is not afraid of collisions, does not worry about what may happen to him. Let him sit behind the wheel carefree. But simultaneously, make sure that the machine is in order and that he maintains all the rules of safety and traffic flow. A similar attitude advises St. Francisco Sales: “I know that God wants me to care about illness and health, but I also know that it is expressly God’s will to call a doctor and take medication when necessary.”

A nice sigh is, “Let us do the Lord.” But, to be in the right place, let us not forget P. Surin’s remark: “It is good to let the Lord do it alone. But it is not right to leave everything to the Lord God when He wants us to do something. ”

What do I tend to do? The indifference or drilling in things?
How do I try to compensate for my natural tendency?
Do I have the courage to admit an opposite solution to that dictated by my beliefs? Can I count on God? Can I seek cooperation with God and His will?