Worry is like a rocking chair

Worry is like a rocking chair – it gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you anywhere.

I like to worry.

Although I realise that’s not quite true. I don’t enjoy or like worrying, but it is a habit I’ve developed along the journey of life.

• I worry my cat might get attacked by a dog (or worse – Gareth Morgan).

• I worry that my husband isn’t getting enough sleep.

• I worry I spend too much money.

• I worry that I don’t read the bible enough.

• I worry I might get fired.

• I worry that my husband might realise how crazy I am.

I could continue but I think you get the point.

I practised worrying so much that I developed an anxiety disorder and had panic attacks. (Sometimes I worry that I haven’t fully dealt with the anxiety disorder).

Because it is fun to blame someone else I want to point out that this worry has probably been passed down through my family. I know my mum and my grandma tend to worry too.

Some of my fears are completely groundless, but they feel very real and can be hard to deal with.

The “Christian” solution

I’ve noticed that the “Christian” solution to most problems is to quote scripture verses to a person until they stop talking about the problem.

So in the past I had well-meaning people quote Romans to me “God did not give me a spirit of fear but of love, power and a sound mind”.

This only gave me a new worry – why didn’t this scripture fix the problem?

However in my own searching I found scripture that does help my worry. Mathew chapter 6 verse 33 says “Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you”.

It doesn’t fix anything instantly and if I quote it to someone it won’t solve their problems. But when I apply this verse to my life I find everything mysteriously changing. My worries have less hold on my mind and my joy increases.

Seeking the kingdom first

To me the scripture means that when I seek God’s will and his plans for this world everything I was worrying about will be taken care of - without having to worry about it.

Sometimes when I spend time with God I ask him to help me to see what he sees, to hear what he hears, to feel what he feels and to let me think his thoughts with him.

I know that to seek his kingdom I need his perspective and during time with him my thinking adjusts. I start to see the world differently, more clearly and slowly I grow and change.

Simply as a side effect of spending time with God my worries fade. As I see things more from his perspective worry drifts off to the side. I realise that there are much more important things to be thinking about. I start to get excited and make plans for the future. My priorities change.

Hebrews chapter 11 verse 6 says that “…God is the rewarder of those who earnestly seek him”.

I have found that the reward for seeking God is that I find him. When I find him everything else gets put into perspective and for a time at least, my worries fall away.

KG

#worry