I'm sure you would suspect that I love watching cartoons. In fact, I get so engrossed with it that I dictate what cartoons to be watched to my children, based on my interest at any given time. Oh, how my son is usually upset when I prefer to watch Frozen, Tinkerbell, Princess Sophia and the likes over Ninjago and Beyblade. Paw Patrol is always a winner any time especially with the movies - Mighty Pups and Racing Pups and recently, Miraculous (the duo of Ladybug and Cat Noir). Hey, this post is not about cartoons or tv shows but a reminder to let you know that it is okay to sit back and take a break at intervals. This is relaxing to the body and refreshing to the soul. When done with loved ones around, it fosters love, bond and affection. We, thus, tend to appreciate ourselves more, which helps us in our daily walk in life.
Hakuna Matata - a phrase I first heard about in the cartoon (again?), Lion King. I want to believe a lot of us are familiar with this cartoon as the original movie which was released in 1994 was ranked number 1 at the box office during both its opening weekend and the weekend after. It was further nominated for 4 Academy Awards, winning 2 of them in 1995 (not to mention the revenue made on it). Mehn, it was a big hit and still remains so till date.
Back to "Hakuna Matata". This is a Swahili language phrase from the African country of Kenya which means "no trouble" or "no problems" and which in Lion King was used as "no worries", the problem-free philosophy of Timon the Meerkat and Pumbaa the Warthog. This brings me to the question that gave birth to this story: are there really no problems or can we really not worry? It goes without saying that there are lots of, and in fact, numerous problems that beset a man. Are these problems sources of concerns or worries? Absolutely. Do we need to worry about them? You tell me. One thing I am certain of, however, is that worrying does more harm to us than good. According to Webmd, excessive worrying makes the mind and body go into overdrive which may lead to high anxiety and panic during waking hours. Webmd stated further that chronic worrying can affect one's daily life so much that it may interfere with appetite, lifestyle habits, relationships, sleep and job performance.
How we view our problems is a key to what we do about, and how we deal with, those problems. This ultimately leads to whether we will succumb to worry or not. As humans, it's typical for us to worry when we find ourselves helpless in dealing with the cause of the worry. Truth is that if we are able to do something about an issue, we will take immediate action to resolve such issue instead of worrying. If we are unable to take any action to deal with the cause of worry, is deteriorating our health the best action to take?
My admonishment is to hand over those worries and troubles to the one who is able to resolve it, the Almighty God who created the heaven and the earth. He has asked all who labor and are heavy laden to come to him with a promise to give rest in return (Matt. 11:28).
I assure you, there's no gain in worrying rather, there is much gain in resting in God.