How Christians can STOP Worry
Opening Prayer
Scripture from Matthew 6:25-33
"So I tell you, do not worry about your life --what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
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. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given."
Message: My message today is about how Christians can STOP worry.
In the scripture I read Jesus is telling us that we should not worry about the needs that God promises to supply. He tells us that worry won’t add even one hour to our life. He says that worry can show a lack of faith in God. When he tells us to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, he means for us to turn first to God for help. Jesus wanted us to know that the same God who created us can be trusted with the details of our life. (Great is Thy faithfulness, as the song says). God wants us to use our energy concentrating on him rather than on worry (1).
Worry has become common in the lives of Christians these days. But for us to live the abundant life God desires us to live we must be joyful. It is important for us to learn to prevent worry from controlling our lives.
What is worry? It is a feeling of uneasiness about an uncertain or threatening future event or a past event. Some feelings of worry are normal. Worry becomes a problem when it interferes with our normal functioning, like our ability to sleep, eat properly, take care of our grooming, and having a normal social life and being interested in the events and activities around us. If prolonged, worry can lead to psychological problems, physical ailments, and loss of spirituality (2).
We live in a complex world today. There are many social problems that cause us stress and worry, like economic problems, war, crime, lack of health insurance coverage, and chronic disease. Also, as we age, and all of us do eventually, we frequently encounter many losses that cause us worry. Loss of loved ones; loss of health; and giving up belongings, independence, and life as we lived it when we were younger. So we have to be deliberate about controlling worry in our life.
I am not saying you can eliminate worry, but you can control it. It is normal to feel some worry or concern, and that can move us to action. But prolonged worry immobilizes us. And let me tell you, bravery is not the absence of worry; it is having worry but continuing on with our lives despite it.
I am going to talk with you about four steps your can take to reduce worry in your life, if this is a problem for you:
If you want to remember these, remember the word STOP - (The first letter of the first word in each step spells STOP)
Share your problems with another person
Take time to relax with mediation and music
Open your heart to God’s presence in your life
Put limits on the worry
Let me go over these four things you can do:
First point: S - Share your problems with someone else (2). There is something very healing about getting our worries out, whether through
Prayer with God
Talking face-to-face with someone
Writing a letter; or
Talking on the phone with a friend or loved one.
Worry loses it’s power over you when you express it to the right person, when you get it outside of you and examine it, because then you can let it go. Unpleasant feelings are just as normal as pleasant ones, but you have to process them or they get bottled up and drag you down. This healing that occurs with sharing your problems is demonstrated when people go to counselors and heal from terrible trauma. Talking things out is good for your health. Example: Have you found yourself thinking as you have gotten older that you should be able to just get over difficult feelings, and that you shouldn’t have to need to talk to someone about them? The truth is, we all need people in our life. No matter how old we get, there is still that spirit inside that longs to be heard and understood. And sometimes that is all we need to get over worry. So share your problems with another person.
Second point: T - Take time to relax with mediation and music (2). It is a proven scientific fact that if we can control our reactions to stress by relaxing. When you get upset your heart races, your blood pressure goes up, and you perspire, doesn’t it? This reaction is a survival technique that was built in us long ago to protect us from danger. But the reaction doesn’t serve a very good purpose in present day times, and when these reactions are prolonged they damage our body. So relaxing prevents that stress induced reaction and calms our bodies. You can listen to soft music or read scripture or positive statements in a quiet room and pray and ponder on their meaning. Example: Think back about a time in your life when you heard beautiful music: you went to a ballet or symphony, you heard a beautiful church or school choir, or you drove in your car in the country with relaxing music on. Maybe you can remember holding your child and singing to them years ago, or even your mother holding you as a child and singing to you. Didn’t you feel less worried and more peaceful? So, take time to relax.
Third point: O - Open your heart to God’s presence in your life (2). Your worry will be diminished if your remind yourself that your life is in God’s hands. God will not ignore those who depend on him. You can attend worship service, read the bible, and pray; all these activities help you focus on God. But you can also just simply be more conscious of his presence in your everyday life. If you open your eyes and observe quietly, you can see God’s presence in the flowers and the trees and the gorgeous blue sky. You can see God’s presence in the kindness of nurses, you can observe it in the graciousness of residents, you can feel it in the love of your family and friends, and you can observe it in the bravery of those dealing with loss. Wherever there is beauty and fine character, you can bet that God is there, helping shape it. And it is sometimes the most simple acts that represent the most profound witness to God’s love. Example: I cultivate my awareness of God’s presence in life as I observe a lady at work named Helen. Helen is in her seventies and she has worked for my company over 25 years. With my mother now gone, Helen is like a mother but she is also my dear friend. I am reminded of God’s presence in her when I witness her care for her job, her bravery in dealing with the ovarian cancer she has and undergoing chemotherapy, her appreciation for life and her family, and her kindness to others and concern in helping new people at work feel more comfortable. Have you known someone like this in your life? Didn’t they make you think about God’s goodness in people? So open your heart to God’s presence in your life.
Fourth point: P - Put limits on your worry. Set a goal to worry only 1% of the day (2). I know this is possible, because I have done it. Almost 30 years ago as a young nurse, divorced, with a 2 year old, and under a lot of pressure I began to have panic attacks (anxiety attacks) caused by unpleasant feelings I had not dealt with. After having my first, I became paralyzed with worry about when I was going to have the next one, to the point that I actually began to bring the attacks on myself. Pretty soon, the worry over panic attacks became more of a problem than the unexpressed feelings that caused them, and I finally sought treatment. Part of my treatment was learning to limit my worry. If something was coming up in a few weeks that I would have to do at work, like conduct a huge meeting instead of worrying about it every day up until the event I learned to put off worrying until the week of the meeting, and then when that came I would put if off until the day before, then when the day before arrived I would put it off until the day of the meeting, and finally the hour before, and then five minutes before. Five minutes before the meeting I would say to myself OK, time to worry, and then I would allow myself a few minutes and then say that’s it; time to get moving. I saved myself a huge amount of unnecessary worry, and I stopped bringing those terrible attacks on. God was teaching me that the only thing I had to fear was fear itself (as Theodore Roosevelt once said) and I learned that by putting off worry, conserving my energy, and seeing the positive results. So put limits on your worry.
Havner says "Worry, is like a rocking chair, it will give you something to do, but it won’t get you anywhere (2)." It simply fills time when you could otherwise be accomplishing your goals. Anticipatory anxiety can be destructive. If you limit your time for worrying, when the allotted worry time comes you will be able to deal with the problem more effectively because you have had a successful day; and, you may find that the worry has shrunk in size and is no longer a major concern (2).
So remember STOP your worry:
Share your problems with another person
Take time to relax with mediation and music
Open your heart to God’s presence in your life
Put limits on the worry
God loves us and wants us to trust him. He does not want us to worry; he tells us this in the bible. If you are worrying too much, it is important to make the decision to eliminate worry and anxiety from your life as much as possible. When you start doing this you will become more joyful, and life will be more worthwhile. God wants us to make the most of each day and fulfill our potential (2).
End with Psalm 23 - I want you to remember this when you find yourself worrying and afraid:
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me besides still waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord, forever.
References:
1. Life Application Study Bible, Wheaton: Tyndale House and Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1991.
2. McCartney, Michael. Worry Wart. www.sermoncentral.com, February 2003.
