Something you see everywhere is worry. You see it in the shopping mall, you see it at the airport. It hangs around the front steps at school or at the front doors at work. Worry is everywhere. But is worry suppose to be such a common sight or is there a better way to live?
Jesus said that we shouldn’t worry about every day life. Now, that is a statement that makes us scratch our heads because we find ourselves worrying so much. But in Matthew 6, Jesus tells us that when we worry, we should stop for a moment and take a look at the birds.
They fly around without a care in the world because God takes care of them. And then Jesus asks, “are you not more valuable than these birds?” The answer is “yes.” But how often do we let every day concerns get ballooned into toxic panic?
We cross the border often and end up in the land of fret. Now, Jesus is not condemning legitimate concern for our responsibilities, but when we subtract Him from our circumstance, that is when He gets concerned.
An example of that is when Jesus fed 5,000 people. Maybe you remember the story from your days in Sunday school. If you recall, it was getting late and Jesus told His disciples to feed the crowd. But the only food they could find was five small fish and two loaves. Not enough to say the least and so the disciples got worried. They said to Jesus, “What’s so little among so many?” In other words, “Jesus, how in the world are we going to do this? We can’t feed all these people.” The disciples did what you and I often do. They didn’t include all the possibilities. When we don’t include Jesus as part of the solution, the result is that we look to ourselves for an answer, and the result is, we worry.
So what do we do to manage worry? Author, Max Lucado mentions what he calls, “eight worry stoppers.”
1. Pray. Instead of pacing back and forth with worry, 1 Peter 5:7 says that we can cast all our cares on God because He cares for us.
2. Ease Up. Before you rush into making a mistake, slow down, assess the problem and take it to Jesus.
3. Act on it. Don’t dwell on the thing that’s causing you to worry, instead head it off.
4. Compile a worry list. Over a period of days, list your worries on a piece of paper. Then after a few days, see how many of those worries actually took place.
5. Evaluate worry categories. See if you can detect categories your worries fall under. If there seems to be one category that rises above the rest, know you may be getting obsessed with it. Pray about it.
6. Focus on today. God meets our daily needs. If you trust Him, He will give you what you need when you need it.
7. Unleash a worry army. Share your worries with others. There may be someone who has an idea for your concern that you have not considered yet.
8. Let God be enough. Matthew 6:32 - 33 says: “Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” Take your concern to God and let Him handle it.
When we ask God to be in a relationship with us, certain truths kick in. For instance, what does God do when we are in a bind? He fights for us. He steps into the ring, points us to a corner then takes over. It’s His job to deal with the difficult things and it is our job to trust. God is in the thick of your world. He’s where you are. So call on Him next time worry knocks at your door.
This column was provided by Tri-Community Baptist Church in Beiseker.
