At times I believe we can all struggle with worry, doubt, fear and anxiety but it is when these, which I have found are grown from our thought life, try to take over our day, week, month and before you even know it, year, that something has got to change.
I am still growing in this area of my life but am encouraged by the fact that I am progressing as I used to worry about the smallest of things. "Why did I say that to that person? Did I upset them? How will we afford to do that? I shouldn't have done it like that; I should have done it like this". On and on and on they went. My worries began to torment me so much so it was starting to greatly impact my life in a negative way.
One day I got an epiphany of the saying "don't be a worry wart". My worrying was so unrelenting that it was actually growing and becoming an ugly wart! Something had to be done.
But what exactly? And how? Stopping the act of worry is difficult, especially if you have become so used to it that it becomes a normal part of your daily life. For me I had to deliberately choose to stop each thought that was causing me to worry and I knew deep down that only God's spirit could truly set me free and fill me with His beautiful peace.
So I listened to teaching on this area, read passages of the bible on worry, prayed and prayed some more.
Ideas
Wonderful little analogies stuck in my mind including; "worrying is like rocking in a rocking chair; it keeps you busy but gets you nowhere!" (Joyce Meyer, 2014). And the popular analogy that has recently been doing the rounds on social media, is the question asked by a psychologist, "how heavy is a glass of water?" The answer being that the weight doesn't matter; it depends on how long you hold it for.
The same can be said about worrying, if you let it go quickly it is not heavy at all but hold onto it for a long time the heavier it becomes until you are left feeling paralysed incapable of doing anything. So what is the moral of the story? You have got to put the glass down! (shared by Science is Madness, 2014). These stories are so simple yet powerful.
So how have I become and still becoming a warrior and not a worrier?
Mainly through reading and truly believing the truth in these passages:
Matthew 6 verses 25-34 and in particular verse 27: "And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add a single moment to your life?"
And Philippians 4 verses 6-7 "Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."
If you too want to become a warrior and not a worrier, I hope in some way my personal battle and continual growth in this area has encouraged you to know that if God can set me free of the ugly act of worry, he can do so for you too!
Jo Fuller is an Early Childhood Teacher with degrees in Education and Journalism. Having just returned from living and travelling abroad for the past two years, she now resides in Brisbane with her husband and they are soon to welcome their first child, due in June 2014.
Jo Fuller's archive of articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/jo-fuller.html