The Giant Called Worry

Worry is what gives way to anxiety and unrest. It manipulates us to dwell on difficult circumstances. While worry seems justifiable, it’s a deception that fights battles that have not yet arrived on our doorstep. It is likened to calling an ambulance before an accident occurs.

"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:34)

MY STORY

I clearly remember the day I was diagnosed with CDIP, a chronic degenerative nerve disease that eats away my nerve sheaths, leaving my nerve endings raw. Thus, causing sensory loss, numbing, tremors, and a host of other symptoms. My neurologist said, ultimately, it could put me in a wheelchair.

I could feel the blood draining from my face as the doctor explained my demise. My hormones kicked into high gear, igniting a paralyzing belief of worry. The first thing that came to mind was that my ministry in Christ was coming to an end. I thought, “This isn’t the abundant Life!” “Is this a result of some sin I committed?” “Surely the anxiety I am experiencing isn’t pleasing to the Lord.” It would be nice to say I appropriated my identity in Christ during this appointment, but I didn’t. It took a long journey to settle into what was true about me in Christ.

This week I finished a pastel for a doctor friend in a nearby community. It is a depiction of Jesus healing the paralytic. After many weeks of working and viewing this image, I often asked the Lord, “Could you do this for me?” By the time I finished, I had realized I was asking the wrong question. I should have asked, “Could you manifest your peace despite my paralyzing condition?” Today, I have that peace.

Most of us would admit that worrying is a part of humanity. My spiritual grandma, Corrie ten Boom, said, “Worry is an old man with a bended head, carrying a load of feathers which he thinks are lead.” Nice words, grandma, but it didn’t hit home until I fought this giant in my daily walk in Christ.

I call worry the imaginary foe of destruction. Today being all the wiser, I can see that self-induced anxiety, which forces the belief of worry, is foolishness in action. This giant lives in the future while tempting me in the present. It is the world of the “what-ifs.” It activates the sin of questioning the sovereignty of God. It is THE giant of “why me?” And as long as I dwell in my self-life view, misery becomes my imaginary friend of defense.

The Greek word for worry means to take thought. While the masses would classify it as an emotional response, it is not. It is to take thought of an imaginary troubling circumstance that can provoke danger, unrest, or lack of trust. In other words, being caught between the real and the possible. People who live by the tomorrow invite two major challenges – one; the future doesn’t belong to us. The second is equally deplorable – one ounce of worry produces a pound of trouble. The bottom line is those of us who worry are attempting to manipulate the sovereign will of the Father.

Planning for the future does not have to include worrying about it. Being concerned is not worrying. Planning and concern versus restless worry are completely separate issues. Jesus helps us understand this wise point of view.

Humanly speaking, worry is an uneasy state of mind, usually over the possibility of an anticipated “self-fulfilling prophecy” or trouble. Most can’t concentrate on something until their agitation, anxiety, anxiousness, apprehension, or concerns are put to rest. Which often results in making impulsive decisions to remedy their discomfort. Every self-life decision involves mounting spiritual, financial, and psychological expenses. For example, people who worry lower their immune systems' tolerance to protect the body, making catching viruses or serious illnesses easier. This is because the Lord designs the body to obey the mind. When the mind is sick, the body is quick to follow.

Worry is an opposing force against what Jesus says. If Jesus says do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself, I believe He means what it says. People who worry borrow evil from the future and bind themselves with it. Furthermore, they covertly deny Jesus by asking Satan for a loan to resolve their problems for today. As Jesus said, there is plenty of evil in each day, and the evil present will care for itself. Meaning we don’t have to fix everything to walk in peace. If Jesus says His Father will take care of food, clothing, and other external things, it might be wise of us to embrace He cares for us. We need to embrace God as both a Creator and a Sustainer. However, this cannot be appropriated until we use our minds to believe by faith.

Without question, worry is irrational. It makes no sense. In this, we find the fruitlessness in attempting to comfort a person of worry. No matter what you say, the Scriptures you use, most wake up the next morning obsessing over the future. Folks, this is what we call “self as god.” People who worry as a lifestyle are classically high-control individuals. The less they can redirect the troubles of tomorrow, the more out of control their daily lives become. And, sad to say, the more their identity settles into high control – low relationship with Jesus from within.

People who choose worry have no ability to be effective in daily decisions. They often find themselves in a “mental muddle” throughout their days. The giant of worry is irrational and impotent. If we cannot add one additional hour to our lives, what makes us think we can change the circumstances in our daily lives?

Worry lies