COLUMN: Stop panicking and start picnicking, by Pastor George McMullan

There’s a lot of fear in the world today over the terroist threat since 9/11.

Theres a lot of fear in Europe over the refugee and migrant crisis, fear over the down turn in the ecomony, jobs and with the housing shortages, governmental financial cutbacks in many areas of public spending, fear over the climate change, unusual weather patterns and flooding , fear of getting cancer and fear of zika virus to name a few.

There is a lot of sadness in the world over innocent families drowning in the Agean and Mediterranean Seas, sadness over natural catastrophies with people dying and suffering and sadness over poverty and the local foodbanks runing low.

Theres a lot of hatred in the world towards people who speak different languages, who come from other religions and cultures and who are challenging and changing the norms within our society.

Theres a lot of confusion over whether we should vote to stay in or out of the European Union.

Theres a lot of depression with people regarding their New Year’s resolutions taking a knock by February.

The quick answer to beating this fear and sadness is to throw your TV and national newspaper out of your window and block out all news media from your various internet sources.

Ignorance is bliss in this department and could work... but, it’s not realistic or likely is it?

The longer ‘good news’ answer is to acknowledge and understand that you’re a farmer and your life is the field where you will produce the harvest.

Your thoughts and beliefs, that you can determine, are the seeds that you will plant, good or bad, in the ground of your mind.

The soil where you will grow these seeds are in your attitudes and actions in everyday life that determine how well these seeds will do, good soil or bad soil – you also get to choose.

Everyday that you live is the results, or, produce and harvest that was sown sometime in the past – for good or for bad outcomes.

Stop flapping and panicking! Start living and picnicking!

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