How to Break the Habit of Worrying

There is always something that could go wrong. Something that could happen. Or not happen. Something that could sneak in from behind, pounce when you’re not looking, and make mincemeat of your perfect world.

That’s life, I guess. The way things go. Life is…well, life is a lot of things. Sometimes happy, sometimes not. Sometimes monotonous, sometimes unpredictable. Sometimes smooth sailing, sometimes more like clinging to a broken mast in stormy waters infested with sharks.

And you know something?

We never get past today. We’re always right here. In the now. Not knowing what’s ahead and always wondering just what it is and what the journey will be like. The unknown is our greatest fear.

And our mind is our greatest enemy.

“Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.”

Corrie Ten Boon

Because we’re fools, you and I. Irrational, faithless creatures who seem to think that pondering over the future, preparing ourselves for the worst, and worrying over what might happen is going to change something.

But it won’t.

Worrying changes nothing. Doesn’t even prepare us, really—and I think, if anything, it disarms us. You see, we’ve fallen into a habit of doubt. Our mindset is in gear to worry. As soon as there’s something we don’t know or any element of danger, our hearts are already fighting a battle we haven’t even come to.

What is the sense in it? Heaven knows God must be weary with us, with our wretched lack of trust and faith. Is He not capable of handling our future? Is our life not safely planted in His hands—and should the very worst happen, is He not great enough to suffice?

Ah yes, He is.

And we must stop this insanity. We must recognize the habit and we must find a way to break free of such a chain. But how?

Change. Your. Thoughts.

Um-hum. You heard me right. If worry is a mindset and the mindset is a habit, we must alter the course of our thoughts and teach them to run in a different direction. Did you know it’s possible to train your mind?

It takes practice, of course. Determination. A bit of resolve. But the more you handle each situation in a better way, the easier it will be to keep doing so.

When the phone rings and a could-turn-ugly situation is upon you, don’t think the worst. Pray. When you’re all alone at night and the dreadful what-ifs start attacking, remember all the times God has already come through. When a storm hits, the damage is done, and you don’t know how to cope…take a deep breath. God’s rescued you before.

Relax, everyone. Have a little faith. Build a little trust. Stop worrying about all the things that might happen and how you’ll deal with it and what it might alter in your life.

You’re not saving yourself any headache. You’re borrowing more.

“Some of your griefs you have cured,
And the sharpest you still have survived,
But what torments of grief you’ve endured
From evils that never arrived.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson