3 Reasons Not to Worry

Spend that energy focusing on God

It’s easy to worry

There is so much bad stuff going on in the world these days. It’s difficult not to worry. Any day of the week you can have your pick of things that will keep you up at night:

Wars. Rumors of war. Out-of-control crime. Hurricanes. Mass shootings. Pandemics. Racism. Semester grades. Earthquakes. High gas prices. Student loan payments. Cancer treatments. Having no health insurance. Election shenanigans. Bad credit. The rent. Environmental death spiral. Terrorism. Medicine-resistant super bugs. Mortgage payments. Nighttime tornadoes. Government-wide corruption. Grocery prices. Collection agencies. Car notes.

Whew!

And let’s not even get started about social media. Spend just milliseconds scrolling and all you see is nastiness, gloom and doom. In fact, it usually takes a concerted effort just to find some good news! And that can add to anyone’s worries!

Worry and your health

Not worrying is often easier said than done. It takes a concerted effort and sometimes a lot of energy to divert the mind from fear and the what-ifs.

But, worry doesn’t solve problems.

“Worry weighs a person down...” Proverbs 12:25 (New Living Translation)

And research backs that biblical warning. Worrying could potentially start you on the path to some pretty bad health issues like heart disease.

Dealing with anxious thoughts

So, how does one stop worrying? I wish I knew the answer. Talking to other people can help — until you’re alone again. Focusing on an activity to occupy your mind works too — until you complete it. And then you’re right back where you started. Setting aside time to worry and then simply ‘walking away’ from it — that never worked for me either.

When those thoughts circle around again, (because they always do) my heart starts racing. Then fear slithers in. And in no time at all— I’m a mess and going off the rails. I find myself imagining what could be and complaining about what should be — completely distracted from my faith and from Him.

And so, I’ve had to sit down and have a talk with myself. More than once.

I mean, if I say I’m a Christian then I should live like it and then trust my God to work it out. Right? So, why is that so hard to do sometimes? When those thoughts invade and destroy my peace, I regroup and refocus my thoughts on God and then I start reading and flipping pages in my Bible, baby.

And I pray.

And I thank God for His help and provision and protection.

And even when it’s not better yet, I make up my mind to trust Him — no matter what.

I’m working on it

So, now when a wave of anxiety threatens to overwhelm me, I try to remember why I should not be worrying in the first place. Getting in the habit of living one day at a time also helps with the tamping down of worrying thoughts.

Plus, I’ve discovered that when I talk to Him throughout the day (Hey, Lord, that is a beautiful blue sky; Father, help me make it this month with these bills) and when I’m thankful throughout the day (Lord, thanks for that parking spot; thanks for a healthy body; thankyou for clean drinking water) — just being in a grateful state of mind helps me focus on Him and not my worries.

3 reasons not to worry

• #1. Jesus said not to. The same God who created us can be trusted with any and all of the details of our lives.
• #2. It shows a lack of faith in God. Period.
• #3. God pays attention to those who rely on Him. The one and only God who created everything knows exactly what we’re going through. That is comforting to me.

I hope this helps someone.

If you like what you just read, check out this one ‘Why John the Baptist was Decapitated’ or ‘I Wish They’d Bring Back Toastettes’ here. Or, there’s always ‘The Female Touch: 6 Women Who Committed Murder in the Bible’ here. Subscribe so you don’t miss an article.

Thanks for your time. Thanks for reading.