Win Against Worry

We can all agree that worry is part of the package when it comes to membership in the human race. We also know that it’s a useless and unhealthy vice. Corrie ten Boom used to recite a little couplet: “Worry is an old man with bended head, carrying a load of feathers which he thinks are lead.” She understood that anxiety is ultimately foolish because it concerns that which isn’t. It lives in a future that can’t be foreseen. It deals with what-ifs and could-bes, speculation, and possibility. And as long as we dwell on the worst-case scenario, we guarantee our own misery, for an extensive catalog of calamity is always within reach of the imagination.

The Bible chooses its language carefully when describing worry. The basic biblical word means “to take thought” or “to be careful.” Those are good things at first glance. But the Greek gives us the word picture of a divided mind. The worrier has a mind torn between the real and the possible, the immediate and the potential. He’s trying to fight the battle of life on two fronts and will lose the war.

The worrier attempts to live in the future, presenting him with two problems: the future isn’t here, and the future isn’t his. Nothing can be done, and no amount of worrying affects the issue one iota. The future is unknown, uncontrollable, and therefore irrelevant in terms of our peace of mind.

When Jesus preached the greatest sermon of all history (found in Matthew 5–7), He was very clear on this issue of anxiety. In a nine-verse passage in Matthew 6, He uses the expression “Don’t worry” three times. So, if you’d like to have Jesus' teachings on the subject of anxiety, we can state them in full in two words: don’t worry.

Some quote Philippians 4:6 (“Be anxious for nothing”) as an excuse for a careless lifestyle. “Don’t worry, be happy.” But that’s not what we’re talking about at all. If you don’t worry about your children playing near traffic, you’re a terrible parent. If you’re not concerned about walking off the roof of a skyscraper, you’ll learn the meaning of that old poster that said, “Gravity: It’s not just a good idea. It’s the law.”

But realistic concern and restless anxiety are separate matters. So what is the difference? In short, concern focuses on the present; worry is attached to the future. The present is before us, and there are actions we can take. The future is out of our hands.

Jesus wants us to live—a day at a time. There’s a reason God placed us within the moment, bracketed away from both the past and the future. They’re both off-limits to us, and we need to post No Trespassing signs. The past is closed for good, and the future is still under construction. But today has everything you need.

That’s what you and I must do when the world seems upside down. We must dwell on the miracle of what lies before us today, this moment, this second. All else is dim by comparison.

Respond

• Are you a worrier?
  • If yes, describe steps you can take to leave worrying behind.
  • If not, list people you can pray for who are still struggling with worry.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, keep me grounded in today, not worrying about the past or the future. I trust You and give You absolute control over all my days.