Dear Grace Baptist friends,
We all worry. And we worry about a lot of things. Sometimes, worry feels like a friend, a constant companion. Like things won’t be right unless we worry about it a little bit? And then at other times, worry feels like a stalker that we can’t get away from. It haunts us, tracks us down, and won’t allow us to sleep at night! Yes, we have faith that the Good Lord will get us through—but worry just won’t leave us alone. George Muller notes, “The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.” E. Stanly Jones quipped, “Worry is the interest we pay on tomorrow’s troubles.” We would like to live a worry-free life but it seems impossible. Fred Smith says that, “Trying to break away from my worries is like wrestling an octopus.”
So I googled “Coping with worry.” And it gave some good advice that I want to pass on to you about worry from a worldly perspective. They have seven tips:
#1. Accept that you can’t control everything. Sometimes bad things are inevitable. Isn’t that great!? You see, we are concerned about eventualities that might happen, so we slip into “Control Mode.” Why? So that what we are worried about won’t happen. But as humans, we really can’t control everything and… that bad thing will happen! We can’t stop it. Accept it. Take a deep breathe. Trying to control everything perfectly will blow a gasket and it won’t be pretty. Step back from the problem and gain perspective.
#2. Make a Plan. Decide on a few simple actions you will take if the feared scenario happens… This wise advice tells us that forewarned is being forearmed. We need to get out ahead of life a bit. That’s why we have things like homeowners’ insurance in case our house burns down. We have car insurance in case of an accident. Make a plan ahead of time. But obviously, we can plan for everything we can think of and something will still slip through. Even the best minds in medicine didn’t see the Omicron coming? Still, it is better than no plan at all. And certainly, better than trying to control everything.
#3. Designate a set time for worries… This sage advice tells us that we can’t get worry out of our lives completely and that it is harmful for us. So, let’s limit the time we give to it. Let’s manage it down. Let’s put it in our plan so that on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings we will set aside time for worry there. Some might think, I need time to worry every day? I’ll start when I get up and quit when I go to bed. That is a “Set Time.” 24/7 becomes a set time.
#4. Make a worry diary… If the above advice doesn’t help us, then we should chart it much like a doctor. Write down each day what you are worried about, then you can identify the real problems that are dogging you. It’s easy, “Dear diary. I’m worried that I will eat too much today. But I’ve found that when I worry, I tend to stress eat. And when I stress eat, then I tend to worry about eating too much. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Bye!”
#5. Exercise and eat well… Yes, our bodies do need exercise and nutrition. And when we aren’t well, we tend to worry about getting better. Taking care of yourself is necessary. Treat yourself to some exercise. It helps clear the mind. Treat yourself to good nutrition, it helps strengthen the body. Don’t do what I used to do, and that is… when I felt like exercising—I would lie down until that went away. That’s not a healthy habit. And it leads us to number 6.
#6. Do something you enjoy… This is where a lot of people go when they are anxious. Find a distraction! Get your mind off your concern and on to something that is invigorating. Something fun. Sometimes… food is fun? And then I worry about eating? For others I know… alcohol is fun. Marijuana is fun. Pornography is fun. Sex is fun. All kinds of addictions are fun to a point. People are self-medicating themselves out of life altogether. They are hoping to numb their anxiety. Life is hard and you can’t control it and bad things happen. So this answer tells us to escape. But… escape to what? We should be careful of this one.
#7. Talk it out… You can’t keep all that tension bottled up inside, so let it out. There are all kinds of people that can help you with this. Good friends can talk it out. Husbands and wives can talk it out. Parents and children can talk it out. There are all kinds of professionals where we can talk it out. But none of this eliminates worry… it just helps us manage the worry that we are dealing with.
Last night at my Life Group we touched on this subject and I was told that worry can’t be eliminated. It’s impossible. So, if you are the worrisome type, you will just have to live with it. And furthermore, two men told that if I tried to convince people they didn’t have to worry, that they would sit in the front row of church and heckle me. You can’t eliminate worry they said. It’s impossible. Just deal with it the best you can!
They are right, unless of course, there was “someone” in your life that could control everything for you! If He was really in control and had all the power at his fingertips so that nothing bad ever happened—then you wouldn’t need to worry! It would be foolish—because this “person” is able to control things in your life.
But how could you trust this “person”? If they had all that power, then he could surely crush you if he wanted? This might cause you to worry about him? You would need to know that this “person” was on your side. That this “person” wanted what was best for you. I mean, you could only really trust this “person” if he was willing to give himself up for you? You would have to be confident that his power and his compassion was focused on you for your good… all the time!
But still, how could you trust this “person” if he didn’t have an amazing intellect? You don’t want your compassionate superpower to overlook you, or forget you. I mean… we have needs. Pressing needs at that! We need clothes, we need food, we need housing, we need company, we need stuff! We worry about those things. This person would need to know everything about you. Your likes, your dislikes, how tall you are—even the number of hairs on your head. He would need to know everything there is to know… and then be able to provide for that.
Of course, we as people have loved ones. We worry about others… and often we worry more about them than we worry about ourselves. Therefore, in order to really quit worrying we would need to know that this “person” could and would look out for our friends, family, neighbors and virtually anyone and anything we might ever consider important in our lives. I mean, this person would need to be able to take care of the grass of the field, (I like grass) and the birds of the sky, (I like birds.) Worry is inevitable unless you have a “person” like that.
The world has no answer for worry… but Jesus does! Listen to what He has to say:
“22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” Luke 12:22-31 (NIV2011)
The world feels like it is falling apart—but our God has got everything under control. There is nothing that is impossible for Him. 365 times in the scriptures we are told: “fear not. He is with us.” There is no need to worry… literally. Trust Jesus and seek Him first.
My prayer for you is from Numbers 6:24-26…
“May the Lord bless you today and keep you. May the Lord who cares for you, make His face shine upon you so that you would comprehend His presence. May the Lord be gracious to you and clothe you with His splendor—more so than Solomon. May the Lord, Himself, personally turn His gaze toward you and give you His peace that passes all understanding. Amen.”
