The Great Weight of Worry
“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:27 NIV84) [see full text in button/link below]
The great weight of worry
We all worry. We worry about something or someone at least some of the time. And some of us have perfected the art and skill of worrying. We worry all the time about someone or something.
When I was a young believer and newly married with a child on the way, I had a worry chair. I spent a lot of time in that chair. Correction. I wasted a lot of time sitting in that chair. All my worrying accomplished nothing (I mentioned this previously). 1
Worry doesn’t resolve a thing. In fact, it robs us. Worry has a subtraction effect on our life. Worry demands our full attention and inhibits us from doing anything positive.
Worry is defined as—mental distress or agitation. The origin of the word comes from the idea of being strangled or constricted, or squeezed. Other words for worry include anxiety, distress, disturbed, nagging, and vexed.
Simply put, worrying is counterproductive, and it suffocates our life. Worry not only robs us of time, it adds to whatever anxiety and stress we already have. You may already know this from your own experience and its effect and impact on your life and the lives of others. And yet, we still worry. But why?
Insights
The simple reason we worry is the recognition of how little control we have over life. Thousands of things on a given day could disrupt our lives directly and indirectly.
We could get sick, lose our jobs or source of income, lose someone we love, or lose our home, to name a few things. A natural disaster may strike or a pandemic breaks out, as we saw with the coronavirus. Given enough time to consider all that could go wrong, we have plenty of things to think about to worry ourselves into a frenzy.
But why do we feel the need to be in control of other things, other people, and other aspects of our lives?
We lack trust. Our faith is limited and weak. Why is this so? Because we try to occupy the role of God in our lives and even in the lives of others we care about or feel responsible for. We also lose perspective in life. We focus on things. Elements in our lives that may be important but are not life itself. 2
I was only freed from my worry chair when I learned to trust in the Lord. On the wall facing my worry chair was a beautifully illustrated scripture given to us as a wedding gift.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV)
As I learned to trust in the Lord without trying to figure everything out on my own, I experienced more and more freedom from worry. I stopped sorting out how I could handle everything on my own or bring my life into a controllable place. I realized what I could not control and committed these things to the Lord.
I learned to entrust my life and everything in it to God. But this was not an overnight experience. It became a continuing commitment to trust. This is the essence of true faith (see Hebrews 11:1, 6).
True Faith
True faith and trust. The first step towards genuine trust is not to worry. Obvious, perhaps, but necessary to accept and understand for trust to develop.
This admonition, “Do not worry…,” can be taken as a command. Not a demand. “Do not” is an exhortation not to do one thing so we can be free to do something positive.
When a young child is told not to touch something hot, it’s for their benefit. We don’t want them to get burned. I remember how my youngest grandson learned this. He’d repeat “hot” over and over when hot food was set before him. He reinforced this knowledge within himself and looked to us to affirm it.
Jesus repeats this admonition three times. He emphasizes it for our own good.
In the original language (Koine Greek), it literally says—be not anxious. The KJV says it this way—“Take no thought….” It’s a very direct statement, not a suggestion.
Worry and trust are mutually exclusive. It’s impossible to do both at the same time. If we are worrying, we’re not trusting. But the converse is true. When we trust God, we don’t and won’t worry.
Jesus tells us not to be anxious or worry about what we eat or drink or wear. He gives us the example of the birds and how God cares for them. Some may wonder about the poor in desolate and dangerous regions. It’s a reasonable concern. But here are two things to consider.
First, regardless of any person’s situation, each of us has a choice to trust or worry. God is able and has shown His willingness to provide what we need, even in miraculous ways.
My wife and I have experienced this many times. When first married, I was out of work, but we needed money to pay the rent. One day, I went out to the mailbox and found an envelope of cash. It was unstamped and unaddressed, but it contained the amount we needed. We still, fifty-plus years later, don’t know where that money came from, other than it was a gift from God.
Second, those of us who trust in the Lord bear some responsibility to do what we can to help care for those in need. We can do this either in person or vicariously through others who extend care to those in need (see Matthew 25:40).
We often helped people while in pastoral ministry in the US and while overseas. It was often unplanned. We gave from the overflow of what the Lord gave us over the years. We have plenty of stories of receiving and giving beyond our usual income, but many of us have similar stories. Trust displaces worry and frees us to be generous with what the Lord provides us.
Jesus asks three questions we need to answer for ourselves.
Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
Are you not much more valuable than they [“the birds of the air”]?
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
These are all rhetorical questions where the answers are understood. Yes, yes, and no one. When you can give honest answers to these questions for yourself, you gain the perspective needed to trust the Lord without worrying.
As you trust the Lord more and more, you will be set free from the weight of worry.
Reflections for Prayer
Worry and trust are mutually exclusive. When we trust God, we don’t and won’t worry. As we trust the Lord more and more, we will be set free from the weight of worry. Trusting the Lord is an everyday commitment. Sometimes it may be a moment by moment commitment.
Learning not to worry by choosing to trust the Lord is a process of faith. When you struggle with worry, ask the Lord to help you set your mind and heart on Him. Ask God to remind you of His goodness and guide you to the promises in the Scriptures of His care and provision.
This is an excerpt from a soon-to-be-published book called The Heart and Soul of God’s Kingdom. Look for it on Amazon with my other books— Trip Kimball on Amazon
