Would you listen to a friend who lied to you frequently?

I've never had trouble sleeping, but my sweet wife does so I sympathize with insomniacs. So the headline at World magazine today caught my eye: An insomniac's Psalm 103: Verse 1

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!

I notice first of all that the psalmist is talking to himself. The whole psalm is, strictly speaking, a note to self—except for verses 20, 21, and 22a. Like the psalmist, I am learning the indispensability of self-talk. My fears talk to me all day, and so the truth must also. Someone once said, “What would you do to a friend who lied to you as often as your fears have?” Indeed.

I think it was Mark Twain who said almost all of the things he has worried about never happened. And that's what worrying is, listening to our fears, which are usually lying to us. True, sometimes our fears do warn us of troubles we can avoid. But most often, fear is just a big liar.

I'm not a worrier usually, but also I don't frequently bless the Lord with all that is within me. And we all should every day, every minute. If we keep our focus on faith and not fear, we'll all be better off this day and every day.