Thinking a bit - 'too much' ....about worry!

I just love how local folk here in Botswana describe worry as 'thinking too much'!

And often as they say 'I've been thinking too much', they emphasise the 'tooooo' and put their hand to their head.

I think it encapsulates the idea of worry quite well.  When we worry we think too much about things that we don't need to be thinking about. We waste mental energy. We focus on 'what if' and doubts that come rushing in, instead of who God is and His promises of faithfulness and provision and love and care and eternal security and His presence with us always, His good purposes, His power, His enabling, His peace, His sufficiency.

It's so easy to worry .....because its so easy to be trusting more in our own abilities and strength to cope with life, rather than be trusting God as we should.

Tim Lane wrote a book a while back on the topic, called "Living without worry - how to replace anxiety with peace" because although worry is actually a needless problem it is a problem for every one of us in one way or another.

Worry is like a rocking chair, it keeps you busy and gets you no-where!

Recently on Scribblepreach, an adaption of a diagram from Paul's Tripp's book 'Instruments in the Redeemers Hands' was highlighted.  It's a great book and it was a good reminder to see  the diagram and once again have a right perspective on worry re-inforced.

Here it is...

It highlights the fact that worry is thinking about stuff that we don't need to be thinking about. It's trying to think through, solve, analyse and focus on stuff that is God's job to deal with.

Sometimes I think worry is an issue that is a much bigger problem for women than for men, but it is a problem for everyone.

I also think it is one of the most fundamental areas that show up just how easy it is to lose sight of God and not truly trust Him.  It takes a lot of intentional effort to force our minds and our hearts to put God back as the focus in our situation.

The verse that comes to mind is: Colossians 1:29 

'For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me. 

Here it is again, with an emphasis on the last part of the verse rather than the first half:

'For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.

It is so easy to do a 'Peter' and be walking on the water fearlessly following the call of God, and then suddenly with just a miniscule momentary distraction and glance at the circumstances be engulfed in panic and worry and be sinking fast!

When I was a small child, my parents used to play a vinyl record of kids songs which included one called 'Why worry when you can pray'.....

'Why worry, when you can pray,

Trust Jesus, He'll be your stay.

Don't be a doubting Thomas,

Rest fully on His promise

Why worry, worry, worry, worry....when you can pray?'

Of course the song reflects the truth of Scripture in Philippians 4:6 which says:

"do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

On Scribblepreach's blogpost after the diagram above, he went on to say, and I want to quote to conclude.....

"The point of the circle is to teach us that, while God takes ultimate responsibility for everything, He takes sole responsibility for some things. Which means: all things are meant for prayer, but some are meant for prayer alone. Now think about this in your own "What if" areas:

I can't always control my income, but I can control my budget.

I can't force us to have a great marriage, but I can be a great spouse.

I can't hand-craft my kids to be perfect little Christians, but I can faithfully read to them from God's Word.

I can't control my grades, but I can hand my work in on time.

I can't force myself into good health, but I can exercise and eat right daily.

I can't make my supervisor approve, but I can do my work with excellence.

I can't control that person's behavior, but I can gently, prayerfully and privately address it.

I can't control my neighbor's salvation, but I can share the gospel with her.

I can't make the mechanic be honest, but I can do my research on mechanics!

You get the point: it's important that we learn to recognize what really is and isn't within our circle of responsibility. When we let God be God over the places we can't control, we soon realize the "What if's" disappear – because "What if's" are all outside of us. As one saint has put it:

God, give me grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other......

The point?

Stop asking "What if?". Start asking: "What now?" "

......