“Most things I worry about never happen anyway.”
–Tom Petty (from the song “Crawling Back to You”)
We spend so much time worrying, yet put very little effort into focusing on a way to eliminate it. We think that if we can solve our problem – that thing that is causing us to worry – we will no longer worry about it. Of course, once our pressing issue is solved, we usually just insert another worry in its place. What if we could find a permanent cure to our problem of worry so that no matter what challenge comes our way, we wouldn’t worry about it?
If you Google “how to stop worrying” you’ll get over 11 million results. Worry is epidemic, ranging from a secondary inhibitor for billions of planet earth residents to a primary debilitator for hundreds of millions. The definition of worry is to torment oneself with or to suffer from disturbing thoughts – to fret.
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati asked subjects to write down their worries over a two-week period and predict what would happen. Expecting the worse, worriers were surprised to discover that 85% of things they thought would end up negative, actually resulted in positive outcomes. A full 79% of the time worriers coped with negative outcomes better than they thought they would. (source: Dr. Robert Leahy “The Worry Cure”).
HelpGuide.org, in an article titled “How to Stop Worrying”, has this to say about worry; Worrying is rooted in belief, both negative and positive. The negative side of worry can best be described as “worrying about worrying.” When we do this we believe our worry is going to spiral out of control, drive us crazy, destroy our health, or all of the above.
The positive side of worry would have us believe that we can avoid the bad stuff by worrying. Not so. Positive worry, considered to be worst than negative worry, persuades us to believe that worrying is a good way to prepare for the worst. It can even convince us that worrying will help us come up with solutions. We justify our worry by redefining it as conscientiousness. The article states, “It’s tough to break the worry habit if you believe that your worrying protects you. To stop worry and anxiety for good, you must give up your belief that worrying protects you. Once you realize that worrying is the problem, not the solution, you can regain control of your worried mind.” If you want to cure your worry, learn to accept uncertainty.
For the non-Christian, accepting uncertainty is easier said than done. For the believer, Christ has seized our future through His sacrifice, replacing our uncertainty with His security. It’s called The Good News. Jesus said, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give (Jn 14:27).” The world gives us plenty to worry about. Jesus comes to us with open arms saying, “Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly (Mt 11:28-30).”
A person who lives freely and lightly is a person who no longer torments themselves with the uncertainties of life. Living free and light is found in the permanent cure for our worry; a relationship with the Creator of the Universe through His Son Jesus Christ who gave us these words: “Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes (Mt 6:25)? But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Mt. 6:33).”
We must give up preparing for the worst and trust the one who guarantees us His best. Worry doesn’t protect us, Jesus does.
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