Question: Sometimes I feel like I’m being overcome with worries. What can I do to stop worrying so much?
Answer: Who doesn’t worry sometimes? We worry about what’s going to happen in the world. We worry about failing in school or in our work. We worry that we won’t be able to make ends meet financially. We worry about how we’re going to make up for mistakes we’ve made or opportunities we missed. We worry about our future. We worry about losing the ones we love. We worry about so many things!
Most worries come down to one of two things: fretting about past failures and situations gone wrong, or fearing the future.
How can we keep those worries from affecting us? One good answer can be found in an unexpected place—the modern ocean liner. Ocean liners are constructed with fireproof, watertight steel doors that, in the event of fire or serious leakage, can seal off the damaged compartment and contain the problem so the ship can stay afloat.
So should it be in the “ship” of our lives. In order to make the most of today and to best prepare for the future, we have to learn to seal ourselves off from worries about yesterday with its mistakes and failures, as well as from overblown concerns about tomorrow. Otherwise our worries may flood us and drag us under.
Have you ever noticed that it’s often the things that never happen that seem to worry us the most? One businessman drew up what he called a “worry chart,” where he kept a record of his fears. He discovered that 40% of them were about things that probably would never happen, 30% concerned past decisions that he could not change, 12% had to do with other people’s criticism of him, and 10% were unfounded worries about his health. He concluded that there were valid reasons for only 8% of his worries.
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Worry is like a rocking chair; it gives you something to do, but it never gets you anywhere.—Author unknown
When we present our fears and worries to Jesus, He fills us with His peace. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7).
The famous evangelist Dwight L. Moody (1837–1899) said, “You can travel first class or second class to heaven. Second class is, ‘What time I am afraid, I will trust’ (Psalm 56:3 KJV), and first class is, ‘I will trust, and not be afraid’ (Isaiah 12:2 KJV, emphasis added). So why not travel on a first-class ticket?”