You know that sinking feeling in your stomach? The one that makes you nauseous. The one that makes your body shake. The one that makes your heart drop into your gut. The one that makes your pulse race and your blood pressure sky-rocket. I know that feeling all too well.
I’m a worrier. I can be out having a good time with friends and suddenly a thought will pop into my head and I’m instantly a shaking, nervous, nauseous mess. My to-do list is constantly running through my mind from sun up to sun down and sometimes even at three-o-clock in the morning.
I struggle with managing my time. I take on more responsibility than I probably should and I create a list of things to worry about even when things are caught up and going well. Chronic worrying has caused numerous panic attacks, breakdowns, and a constant state of distraction in my life and today as my heart started racing and I freaked out about the upcoming weeks, God stepped in.
Did you know that forty percent of the things you worry about never happen? It’s true. And only eight percent of the things we worry about actually require us to take action. Can you do the math? Ninety-two percent of our worries are things we can’t do anything about anyway! That is such a freeing thought. We can’t control the world around us, so why worry so much? We’re given one life and worrying just wastes it.
And do you know something else about my anxiety? It’s causing me to question God. Now I’m not questioning Him consciously, but by questioning my life and worrying about my small problems I’m throwing away all my trust in Him. Who am I to question the God who created everything on Earth? Who am I to question His timing or His guidance?
Have you ever looked up worry in the Bible? Because they talk about it a LOT.
•Psalm 55:22 “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.”
Comments
Thank you for this today! This is soooo me! I always have a never-ending list in my head, never feel like there is enough time in the day for me, never feel like I’ve done enough and always take on more than I should. I have so been trying to find some peace in my life for quite a while now. It is hard to calm yourself sometimes when dealing with stress all the time. I try not to worry but dealing with other people can actually make you feel sick. Especially if it’s a constant upset in your life. Sometimes when people get crazy around me I just have to escape it some way to keep calm. But yes I do try to have a carefree attitude! And I keep fighting for it everyday!!
Thanks, Lauren! I really needed this today! 🙂
Thanks for telling “worriers” that we are not alone! 🙂
Hi there
Just wondering if you have ever seen a visual representation of this saying??
I’m particularly after one that breaks the 8% into categories of:
2% of our worry is out of our control
4% of our worry we can have the courage to do something about
2% of our worry was always going to happen but the outcome is better than we could ever imagine….
Or something like that???
Happy Days
Boatie Mic