Worry Beads

My parents returned from a trip to Greece on Monday and on their return they brought me a several little gifts. One of these gifts was a small chain, no longer than 6 inches or so, and along the small metal chain were colored beads that moved up and down on the chain. I was quickly informed that these Greek beads were called "worry beads" and that they were something that the Greeks played with in their hands or pockets. The worry beads came in all varieties colors and prices, everything from plastic to ivory. I have been fascinated with my small chain of beads ever since my parents gave it to me, clicking the beads together while watching TV, and spinning the chain around my finger like a tether ball wraping around a pole. I think worry beads were created just so fidgety people, like me, could keep themselves busy. So, if these beads were merely for fidgeting, why were they called worry beads? I wondered.

This morning while reading Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver, I read a chapter on worry and ran across the most appropriate passage. I am sure I would have found it interesting no matter what, but having just been given a string of worry beads, I was especially moved by this writing that seemed to have been written especially for my heart....

"... the use of Komboloi [worry beads] had declined significantly in Greece over the past three or four decades as young Greeks tried to adopt more modern ways. But now, it seems, these ancient stress reducers are making a big comeback. Even in cosmopolitan Athens, they're everywhere. You can pick up plastic worry beads cheaply at newsstands or fork out as much as thousands of dollars at a jewelry store for something more ornate. Executives in Armani suits flick their fingers over ivory beads and smooth black stones. Old men click wooden ones. Hip young Greeks twirl their strings of beads, comparing styles and price tags. It's a tradition that still brings a form of comfort.
I wonder how many of them know where the komboloi originated? I wonder if they would trade in their clicking and clacking for the original purpose these strings represented? Komboloi you see, were first used in other cultures for the sole purpose of counting prayers. Bead by bead, prayer by prayer, the komboloi were an outward expression of a Godward heart."

An "outward expression of a Godward heart", hum? I thought. How cool is that! I want a Godward heart! So, this morning I promptly hung my worry beads on the rearview mirror of my car. On the drive to work, playing with my worry beads not only kept my mind off of the morning's rush hour traffic, I am excited by this new reminder for prayer each morning. I am dedicating myself to 6 prayers each morning... one for each bead on my chain.

Why worry, when I can pray.