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And is there any way to stop?
I've spent a lifetime perfecting the art of worrying. You too? Why do we do it? I grew up as a firstborn, and from what little psychology I've taken, I learned that many firstborns have Type A personalities-- you know, the take charge, get-everything-perfect people.
Except almost nothing is perfect, no matter how much we plan or work or obsess over it.
Intellectually, I know worrying is not good for me. I can feel my heart racing. My blood pressure climbs. All because something might have gone wrong that fell under the heading of MY RESPONSIBILITY. Nothing should go wrong on my watch. But did I plan for every possibility? Did I spend enough time thinking it through? Oh, and here's my favorite: What if something goes wrong?
A lot of worrying boils down to the question of "What if"? And the what-ifs of life are really just a way of what our parents called "borrowing trouble." But here's the thing. Most of what we worry about never even happens! We find ourselves saying, "Boy, that was easier than I thought it would be."
Wouldn't it be nice if we could just go right from the planning of something straight to the pleasure of knowing everything went pretty well?
Did you know the Bible has approximately 400 verses pertaining to fear and worry? Jesus told people many, many times, "Fear not." But one of my favorite verses about worry is from Matthew 6:27: "Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?" (NLT) In other words, worrying is pointless. What does it get you? Nothing but a racing heart, climbing blood pressure, and sleepless nights.
The ONLY solution to our worry problem (or is it an addiction?) is to remember to give those worries to God. Let Him take care of it. Picture yourself approaching God's altar and placing those worries right on top of it. Then thank Him and walk away from them. As for me, I have to keep asking myself whether I trust God or not. Because if I do, then there really is nothing to worry about.
It's tough. I'm not good at it yet. Just this past week, I fretted over what might happen if things didn't go right on Sunday. Guess what? Things went well. My worries did not add a single hour to my life. In fact, they caused a lot of emotional upheaval that did me no good.
When we find ourselves on the worry wheel again, please join me in memorizing this verse.
"Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." (1 Peter 5:7 NLT)
Until next time,
Toni
