Don’t Worry, Be Happy!
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There are some things I’m good at: I can clean, organize, delegate, and plan like a boss. I can cook well enough to get paid to do it, and I can write pretty well. But I have one skill that I haven’t yet figured out how to market, and when I do, I’m fairly certain it will make me rich. I can worry with such skill and creativity that I’m convinced it’s gotta be worth something!
Do you know anyone who is interested in adding a professional “worrier” to their team? I can imagine all the possible worst-case scenarios and outcomes for companies and individuals. I can worry about things that are actual possibilities, and also about things that are so far-fetched they haven’t even made movies about them yet. I would love to put this skill to work, because at the moment it’s really more of a liability—something that robs me of peace and tranquility and wastes a lot of my time and energy.
God’s Word says, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself” (Matthew 6:34). Another passage says, “Do not be anxious for anything” (Philippians 4:6). These instructions really conflict with my worrying. So how can I comfortably worry about things when the Bible tells me so clearly not to worry?
If I’m really honest, there are times—lots of times—when my worrying steals all the joy out of my life. I have cried over tragedies that never happened. I have raged over difficulties that never materialized. I have stressed over problems that never came to pass. I’m sure I will be able to say with Mark Twain, “I’m old and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.”
I’m not sharing all this with you with the sole intention of convincing you that I’m nuts. I’m actually telling you this so that you can learn from my foolishness. Heck, I’m learning from my foolishness! Sometimes I feel foolish when, after a sleepless night spent crying, worrying, and stressing, I wake up in the morning to a tragedy-free life!
The good news is that I’ve been through this cycle enough times that I’m starting to realize the futility and uselessness of it. I can’t say that I’ve come close to breaking the worry habit yet, but I’m starting to think that maybe I should … stop!
But the fact is that it’s really hard not to worry. Life is pretty messy and unpredictable. Wouldn’t you agree? With all of life’s looming woes, how can anyone not worry?
There’s this little poem I once read (actually I read it so many times that I have memorized it):
I have nothing to do with tomorrow,
My Savior will make that His care.
Should it [be filled] with trouble and sorrow,
He’ll help me to suffer and bear.
I have nothing to do with tomorrow
Its burden then why should I share?
Its grace and its strength I can’t borrow,
So why should I borrow its care?1
Isn’t that great advice? My worrying, your worrying—does nothing for our futures. I’ve never worried my way out of a problem. The only thing my worrying has accomplished was to sap my strength for the present. I’m guessing that that’s all you’ve managed to do with your worrying as well.
I can’t tell you that I’ve harnessed any amazing meditation techniques that have eliminated my worrying. I don’t know that there’s any one thing that takes away the urge to worry and stress about things. But here are a couple of things that I picked up from Dale Carnegie2 that are helping me:
Ask yourself what’s the worst that can happen and make peace with it.
Now that might seem a little scary to do, but it’s one of the best ways I’ve found to let go of worry. In the words of Dale, “Once you accept the worst that can happen, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. It’s the beginning of freedom.” This technique has helped me greatly, as I can pray for grace and trust that God has never failed me, and He won’t fail me ever … not even if the “worst” were to happen!
Set about doing the things that actually can be done to improve the situation.
Sometimes there is something that I can do, like make a phone call, send an email, write down what I need to remember or take care of, and especially commit my cares to the Lord in prayer.
I worry the most at night. Sometimes getting up and doing something makes things easier than just lying there. (It’s easier to deal with worry during the day, as I keep pretty busy.)
When I apply these steps I am amazingly able to let go of my worries, or at least keep them at bay.
My worries are likely different from your worries. But regardless of the issues, worrying is just as much a waste of time for you as it is for me. It’s something I want out of my life, and something you probably want out of your life, too. Why should we worry and stress when we can actually trust the Lord and be happy?
No matter how bad or difficult things get, there is always something to be grateful for and something that makes life worth living. I firmly believe that is a truth that will never change.
If you can eliminate the habit of worrying, you will save so much time and energy. And that’s time and energy that you can use toward building your future or working on the things that really matter.
And I’ll end this with the words of a well-known song by Bobby McFerrin: Don’t worry; be happy.3—Mara Hodler4
*
Matthew 6:31–32 says, “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.”
A lot of our workaholism is rooted in worry. You have to put your security in something that can’t be taken from you. Trust that God knows your needs and can provide for you.
A Christian man, after struggling for years, finally said, “God, I’m going to give you my business. You’re the CEO now. You’re in charge of my career—the profits, payoffs, promotions. It’s your business now and you run it.”
The next day his business warehouse burned to the ground. He was seen standing outside the warehouse with a smile on his face. He said, “Last night I gave my business to God. If he wants to burn it down, it’s his business.”
He had a new perspective: “God will handle it! As quickly as he burned the thing down, he can raise it up again.” That’s called trust.
Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, 30: “Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. ... The yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light.”
Jesus came to give you a lifestyle that is easy and light. If you’re carrying a load that is heavy and overbearing, then it’s not from God.
Perhaps you have been in this lifestyle so long, you don’t know any other way. You’re dead tired, but you can’t seem to stop. God has a word for you: “Trust me. I’ll take care of you. Exchange your pressure [worry] for my peace.”—Rick Warren5
*
Worry is largely a matter of thinking about things at the wrong time. I have built into your brain the amazing capacity to observe your own thoughts. So it is possible to monitor your thoughts and make choices about them.
To avoid wasting mental and emotional energy, timing is very important. If you think about certain things at the wrong time—for example, when you’re lying in bed—it’s all too easy to start worrying about them. This is why it’s so helpful to monitor your thinking. Instead of waiting until you’re deep in worry, you can interrupt anxious, negative thoughts and change the subject.
I want you to discipline your mind to minimize worry and maximize worship. This will require much ongoing effort, but you will find that it is a path to freedom. When you realize you’re thinking about something at the wrong time—a worrisome, negative thought at a time when you can do nothing about it—take swift action. Tell yourself, “Not now!” and direct your mind elsewhere. The best direction for your thinking is toward Me. Draw near Me by expressing your trust in Me, your love for Me. This is worship.
Strive to live more fully in the present, refusing to worry about tomorrow. Striving involves devoting serious effort and energy to something; it usually includes struggle. You must exert continual effort if you want to live present-tense in My Presence. I urge you to make Me the major pursuit of your everyday life.
It’s essential to resist the temptation to worry. You live in a fallen world, full of sin and struggles—you will never run short of things that can provoke anxiety. However, remember that each day has enough trouble of its own. I carefully calibrate the amount of difficulty you will encounter on a given day. I know exactly how much you can handle with My help. And I am always near—ready to strengthen, encourage, and comfort you.
Pursuing a close walk with Me is the best way to live in the present. Keep bringing your thoughts back to Me whenever they wander. Return to Me joyfully, beloved. I will take great delight in you and rejoice over you with singing.—Jesus6
Published on Anchor March 2024. Read by John Laurence. Music by Michael Fogarty.
1 “Tomorrow,” by Major D. W. Whittle.
4 Adapted from a Just1Thing podcast, a Christian character-building resource for young people.
6 Sarah Young, Jesus Today (Thomas Nelson, 2012).
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