Healthy Living
Worry is often my default emotion—tromping a well-worn path in my mind. I feel like I am being proactive when I worry, yet Matthew 6:27 (NIV) proves otherwise, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”
Worry is a backbiting friend, isn’t she? She promises comfort yet delivers anxiety and unrest. So why do we worry? It could be due to past hurts, present circumstances, or future fears. Often worry is rooted in a lack of trust.
I worry because I don’t like to be blindsided, in case the what ifs happen. I feel like if I worry, somehow, I’ll be more prepared for what might transpire. But more than that, I wonder if I can trust God, because He might not do what I want Him to…or He might allow something to happen that I don’t want to happen.
Worry is often fueled by these questions:
What if I don’t have enough for what is required?
What if I am not enough?
What if God isn’t enough?
We had a health scare with one of our children. Per usual, worry beckoned me to entertain cyclical thoughts that led to nowhere but fear. During this time, my friend Niki prayed for me: “Where fear and worry are appetizing, may she grow sick of that. May worship and Your Word be more fulfilling and appetizing than worry.”
Niki’s prayer made me realize that worry does not have to be our go-to. In the past, I fed worry scraps under the table and as I did, she grew until she was an unruly beast. But we can starve worry when we feast on worship. Worshiping God is a better alternative than worry—much more satisfying.
God is more powerful than any giant worry we face. We can trust Him to do what’s best, even when it looks different than expected. Instead of focusing on the cares of the world, let’s remember our Giant God who cares more for us than we can imagine. When we face worrisome situations, let’s choose to worship instead.
-Katie M. Reid
Author of Made Like Martha: Good News for the Woman Who Gets Things Done
