Spring Break Happenings and a Look into a Book

I cannot believe spring break is almost over. I haven't really decided whether I really don't want to leave or whether I'm ready to go back. I love being home and it's definitely a nice relaxing time when I'm here, but on the other hand I definitely enjoy the freedom of being away at school and on my own. It's a love-hate relationship on both ends.
Other things going on in my life.. hm.. oh! I just got a twitter- it's just a trial basis. I kind of have this feeling that it's going to get really old really fast. It's pretty much a bunch of status updates and quotes, so I'm not really sure how I feel about it. (As you can tell, I'm a pretty indecisive person).
What's on the plate for today? Oral surgeons. Yes, the dreaded wisdom teeth consultation. While I knew this day would come, I was hoping it wouldn't come for a few years since my wisdom teeth haven't even grown in yet. Unfortunately, one of my wisdom teeth happens to be growing into the roots of the teeth around it and therefore has been causing me pain and agony. Ok, maybe not to that extreme, but it's pretty bad when it affects your teeth, your jaw, and your ear. Also, I'm sure it doesn't help that I clench my teeth in the middle of the night. I've been having crazy dreams every night and have been waking up with my jaw clenched shut and my blankets on the ground.
Anyway, other than that consultation, today will consist of finishing a research paper, starting another paper, and going out to dinner with one of my awesome cousins!
Yes, I did say that I had two papers over spring break.. but it's ok, because who wouldn't want to analyze Nathaniel Hawthorne's works over spring break anyhow? (Don't worry, that was sarcasm).


Alright, now that I've run out of unimportant things to update you on, it's time to share with you things that actually matter! As I mentioned in my previous post, I've been reading Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver. Last night I was reading a little bit in it when I came across the issue of "worrying." Well, whoever reads this blog can obviously tell that I have an issue with worrying and I need to 1up my trust in God.. or maybe 10up. Weaver states her issues with worrying and the negative affects it has on her life. Weaver also gives statistics regarding "What We Worry About,"

40% are things that will never happen.
30% are about the past- which can't be changed.
12% are about criticism by others, mostly untrue.
10% are about health, which gets worse with stress.
8% are about real problems that can be solved.

Well, of course these statistics got my wheels turning. How often do I sit and imagine possible scenarios that might happen and most likely never will happen.. and most of the time never do happen. Or how often do I sit and think about what I could have done differently in a certain situation that happened five years ago. I also do frequently over-analyze what people are thinking about me and often assume that they are having negative thoughts about whatever decision it is that I am making. And even if they do- so what? That's the thing. So many times we sit and over-analyze, over-care, and under-trust when it comes to situations or people which we don't even have control over. One verse she shares is Proverbs 12:25, "An anxious heart weighs a man down." Matthew 6:27 says, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"
Some quotes from Joanna Weaver:

"If anxiety caused God's closest friends, Adam and Eve, to hide from his face, just imagine what worry must do to you and to me."

"God knows worry short circuits our relationship with him. It fixes our eyes on our situation rather on our Savior."

After relating our worrying to a deep London fog she says, "Our mind disperses the problem into billions of fear droplets, obscuring God's face."

"Instead of helping us solve life's problems, anxiety creates new ones, including a tendency to unhealthy introspection."

"Worry seeps into our thoughts, poisoning our joy, convincing us to give up on solutions before we've even tried them."

Those are just a few of the ideas which Joanna Weaver presents in her book, but it definitely opened my eyes to problems which worry cause and its failure to be beneficial.
She also goes into the explain the difference to between worry and genuine concern, which are two very different things. To go into it briefly, she states that worry is often "unfounded, generalized, obsessive, creates more problems, and looks to self or other people for answers," while concern "involves a legitimate threat, is specific, addresses the problem, solves problems, and looks to God for answers."

Anyway, that's just a tidbit from the life of Daisy Wolf. Hope you enjoyed or maybe benefited a little!
God Bless!