What, Me Worry?

OK, confession time here.  I am a worrier, though I prefer to think of it as more of a planner.  There is nothing wrong with planning ahead in fact it is a really good idea.  The problem comes when we focus on the things that we can't prepare for.  Our lives are made up of millions of factors that we have no control over.  So I think the difference between planning and worry is about productivity.  If there are reasonable things that I can do to help for the future, like saving money or getting a physical then it is planning, but if there is nothing that can be done, then it is worry.  And worry is not a good thing.   Truth be told, I do both.

Disclaimer: Anxiety is not worry.  Some people have an anxiety disorder where through the chemical make up of their brains they feel the emotional responses panic or worry at inappropriate times.  Anxiety disorder is a medical condition and one that I am not well qualified to talk about.  So to be clear, when I talk about worry, I am not talking about anxiety. With worry we have a choice.

So why do we do it?  Why do so many of us spend much of our energy worried about things that we can't control?  I think of places and times where people live day to day.  If things go well today, they get food for today.  If not, they are hungry.  If things are going well today, is there a way to stretch this good fortune into tomorrow?  Who knows.  

I think that in our abundance we feel that everything should be under our control.  Since so many of our basic needs are met, we focus on things that are outside of our reach.  And when we let our minds sit there, then we can sink into a funk of worry.  

There is a difference between thinking "I will be happy today, no matter what the future brings" and "Sure, things are good now, but just how long will that last." And that is the real damage in worry.  It takes away today's happiness.

For a Christian, worry is really a spiritual issue.  On the one hand we know that God has a plan for us.  On the other hand, we don't always see what that plan is or how we will get there.  But that is what worry is all about.  Obsessing about things we don't know or can't control.  I think things would be easier if God just laid out the plan.  If He said "Here, You will do this and this and in the end you do this.  See," 

And while that would be easier from my perspective as a worrier, it would do nothing under the category of TRUST.  As we build our relationship with God, we need to trust in God.  And we need need to trust that His plan is the fight plan for the future.

Watch this video from Pastor Chris.

Worry will not add an hour to our lives.  Not only that but it can suck the joy out of the hours that we do have and it can separate us from a trusting relationship with God.