What’s wrong with worry? Well…pretty much everything! But perhaps the worst thing about worry is that it can bring on failure, that it can draw the very things you wish to avoid.
The word “worry” comes from an ancient German word meaning strangle or choke, and that is what worry does: it applies a mental strangling that leads to desperation. Jesus tells us to “take no thought” for what we eat or wear (Matthew 6:25). The Greek word for “take thought” is merimnate, which means literally to have a divided mind or to be torn in different directions, stifling constructive action.
Like pessimism, worry can harm the body as well as the mind and will. It has been clinically documented that people who worry have more fractures than those who don’t. And doctors have acknowledged the role of worry in many of their patients’ problems. No wonder the Bible tells us again and again not to worry. Proverbs 12:25 says, “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down.”
How can you overcome worry? Some people get help from a “worry diary.” Often the simple act of writing down your fears can help you begin to feel that you’re more in control—and that in turn can help you deal with what’s worrying you. After you have listed your worries, go back and—one by one—form a mental image picturing a positive solution or outcome. Make these pictures as detailed as possible. Then, pray with that image in your mind, claiming Jesus’ promise: “Everything is possible for one who believes” (Mark 9:23).
