Why Worry?عينة

 Intolerance of uncertainty 

We all worry about things to some extent — and many of us find it useful to proactively think about how they might deal with challenging future events. 

Of course thinking about future events need not take the form of worry, and already in this devotional, important distinctions have been made between worry and other types of thinking. 

As a Christian head of Psychology, I appreciate both the normalcy of worry and the features that often make ‘worry’ disabling and a source of emotional discomfort. I teach my students that ‘worry is an intolerance of uncertainty’. 

Pause for reflection and ask yourself these questions: 

‘How tolerant am I of uncertainty?’ 

‘Can I cope with not knowing the finer details of what is next in my life?’.

We will often find that at the root of our worries is our intolerance of uncertainty. It is the fuel for the unnumbered ‘what-if?’ questions, which consequently leads to the cycle of worry, anxiety, demoralisation and exhaustion.

Our intolerance for uncertainty, ultimately reveals a deeper issue with trusting The One who is certain, The God who knows the end from the beginning. 

We ought not to mask over our ‘intolerance of uncertainty’, neither should we ignore the fact that we see in part and know in part. Instead, we should present our uncertainties to God - because even if the future isn’t clear to you right now; it is crystal clear to The God who predestined you and gave you a hope and a future. 

Anytime you catch yourself displaying an ‘intolerance of uncertainty’- speak to your mind and say ‘I choose to be tolerant of uncertainty because of The One who is certain about all that concerns me’.

Response for the day:

Thank you Lord, for the gift of my mind and the ability to think. Help me not to overthink and worry about the future. Help me to remember my future is safe and secure in you. Amen