Don’t Worry, Be Happy
This will be a short entry, but I just HAD to share this funny story. On Monday morning, I was getting my boys ready for school and they started fighting over who would get to the sink first to brush their teeth. Normally I would have responded with a comment like, “No fighting, boys! Be nice to each other!” This day, without hesitation, I said, “Don’t worry, be happy boys!” and burst into singing that song by Bobby McFerrin (click here to listen).
I hadn’t even heard or thought about that song in years, but it just rolled off my tongue without hesitation. The boys absolutely loved it and wanted to hear the real version of it. We had it on repeat during breakfast, and we couldn’t help but smile. Even my husband got in on the fun! We were singing, dancing, and trying our best to do the whistling parts in the song. It was hilarious! This is now our new morning anthem.
“In every life we have some trouble,
When you worry you make it double
Don’t worry, be happy” ~Bobby McFerrin
Later that day, I was reading the daily digest from an e-group I’m a member of and one of the members wrote: “Reggae Jesus: Don’t worry, be happy.” After I stopped laughing, I read it again. I was just reading parts of the “Sermon on the Mount,” and was amazed by the similarity between the song and Jesus’ message in the “do not worry” portion of this particular sermon. While I know the e-group member was joking, I loved the comment because that statement really does get right to the heart of His message.
So, I hope you’ll listen to the song as soon as possible. I don’t believe it is possible for anyone to listen to it and not smile :-). No matter what you’re going through, worrying about it will not contribute to your peace of mind. All things will work together for good, as they always have, and for that reason we can smile – knowing that it’s already done. Amen.
25 “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? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. ~Matthew 5:25-34
Keep shining!
~Kandace
About the Author: Kandace Jones
I used to live life shackled by fear, doubt, and worry. I put on a happy face while navigating my day-to-day duties, but I was emotionally drained, stressed, and unhappy. When I hit rock bottom, and was diagnosed with depression and anxiety, I was determined to live life differently. I knew there had to be another way. Out of that determination, and guidance from Spirit, the "Living in the Light" blog was born. It documents my spiritual journey out of the darkness and into the Light. After nine months of publicly sharing my journey, and consciously releasing my attachment to the ego, I experienced a powerful spiritual awakening. I went from living in fear, doubt, worry, and stress to complete inner peace. My greatest passion has become assisting others on their own journey to inner peace.
My spiritual memoir, From Stress to Peace: An Intimate Journal on the Journey from Living in Darkness to Living in the Light, is available now on Amazon and BN.com. Click the tabs at the top of the page to learn more about the From Stress to Peace 21-Day Challenge, Living in the Light Retreats, 1:1 sessions, and the Living in the Light Community - all of which are designed to support your journey to inner peace. I appreciate you taking the time to visit the blog and look forward to supporting you in any way I can!