Recently, I had a discussion with my wife about WORRY. Worry is a uniquely human experience. Sometimes worry can paralyze us. I remember when I was a small child, I though there was a monster under my bed. As I got older, I realized that it was all in my head. I was worried over nothing. Let’s discuss it!
Worry is NOT:
- It is not caution like looking both ways before crossing the street.
- It is not legitimate fear like fleeing a burning building.
- It is not healthy anxiety that you may feel before a surgery or a presentation at work.
What is Worry, really?
Verb: to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts; fret.
Noun: a worried condition or feeling; uneasiness or anxiety.
Notice the words used to describe ‘worry’. I don’t know about you but I find words like; torment, suffer, disturbing thoughts and uneasiness very unpleasant. The English word ‘worry’ comes from the High German word ‘Wurgen’, which means to strangle. In Lithuanian it is ‘Veržti’, meaning to constrict. When we put all of these meanings together, we see that worry is a monster. But, this monster is like the one that I imagined living under my bed.
- Worry is illegitimate FEAR.
- Worry is a distraction.
- Worry accomplishes nothing. Nothing good comes from it.
We must learn to recognize it in order to neutralize it. I combat worry with God’s Word and logic.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Phil 4:6)
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Mt 6:26)
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Gal 5:22-23)
Was there a monster under my bed? No. It was all in my head. So it is today. Remember, it is all in your head. If you see me worried, tell me to re-read this post and remind me the fear is not the fruit of the Spirit 😉
What do you worry about? Why?
Image Source: “Where the Wild Thinks Are” by Maurice Sendak