Trying to Be Worry-Free in a Worrisome World

How would you rate yourself on the “worry scale”? Are you one of the fortunate few who don’t have a care in the world, unaffected by anything that happens to you or around you? If so, congratulations. Maybe you should write a book to tell us your secret.

 

The rest of us, however, classify as worriers to one extent or another. After all, we live in a worrisome world. Some are able to limit their worrying to extraordinary things – like an asteroid colliding with the earth, an earthquake causing California to sink into the Pacific, or a volcano erupting in Omaha, Neb. For the rest of us, worries come in all shapes and sizes, about anything and everything.

Growing up, my mom was a world-class worrier. If there was something she could think of to worry about, she did. If there was nothing to worry about, she worried about that. I remember one day sitting next to her and in my vast teenaged wisdom, declaring, “Mom, if worrying did any good, I’d sit right here and worry twice as hard as you do.” 

 

Of course, most teenagers can seem oblivious to how things can affect their little worlds. At that age they typically echo the famous words of MAD magazine’s Alfred E. Neuman, dating back to the mid-1950s: “What, me worry?” As we get older, we discover there’s plenty of things to worry about. This can lead to an affliction sometimes known as “worry warts.”

 

The COVID pandemic served as a perfect example. Especially during the early months, no one knew for sure what the world was dealing with. Would it prove to be on the scale of the Black Plague or bubonic plague, the Ebola virus, or something even worse? Fearing the worst, many of us social-distanced, quarantined, face-masked, got the jabs (at least the first one or two), and did just about everything the “experts” were recommending. National worry soared to an all-time high.

 

Thankfully those concerns have faded for most people, but that hasn’t stopped us from thinking of other stuff to worry about. We’d like to sing the little ditty of years past, “Don’t worry. Be happy,” but that seems much easier said than done.

 

Melanie Greenberg, a clinical psychologist and author of The Stress-Proof Brain, posits that 85% of the things we worry about never happen. Apparently, we’re conjuring up a lot of unnecessary mental stress and distress. Someone might argue, “Yeah, but what about the 15% of things that do happen? How do we tell which is which?”

 

I’m certainly not immune to worrying, but I have learned that rather than trying to know the unknowable – which things are truly worth worrying about – it’s a better plan to learn how to release our worries in the first place.

 

The Bible is filled with admonitions to exercise our faith in God rather than worrying about things beyond our control, but two brief passages in particular have served me well over the years. You might be familiar with one or both, but given our propensity for worry, they’re worth revisiting from time to time.

 

Philippians 4:6-7 exhorts, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” The New Living Translation puts it this way: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done.”

 

Things we can justify worrying about – the upcoming Presidential and Congressional elections; inflation; global pandemics; threats of war; severe weather events, among others – are beyond our control, so why squander our emotional energy trying to figure out what can be done about them? Faith in the Lord means trusting that He is in control, He’s not surprised when adverse circumstances arise, and He’s fully capable of handling them – as He has throughout human history.

 

Instead of worrying and letting anxiety build, we can pray and submit our concerns and needs to God, expressing thankfulness in advance for what He’s going to do. Years ago, when I was facing open-heart surgery, the first couple of days were filled with anxiety. But as I prayed, committing my situation, my family and my future to Him, I truly experienced “the peace that surpasses all comprehension.” That has been the case for me and my family more times than I could count.

 

The other verse that immediately comes to mind is 1 Peter 5:7, which urges us to “Cast all your cares on Him for He cares for you.” It’s a simple but sound advice from the Scriptures. Whether it’s a serious health diagnosis, an overwhelming financial problem, family issues, or any of many other possibilities, knowing God is not only in control but also that He loves us and desires the best for us can lift the load of worry off our shoulders and place it on His more than able shoulders.

 

To amend Alfred E. Neuman’s quotation, we can declare, ‘What, me worry? I’ve handed all my worries to God. He can handle them a lot better than I can.”

Who Me, Worry?

Flashback from my teenage years: In the heyday of the satirical MAD magazine, its mascot and cover boy, Alfred E. Neuman, was known by the famous tagline, “What, me worry?” The iconic, gap-toothed fellow certainly didn’t appear smart enough to worry, even if there was something worth worrying about.

For many of us, however, this isn’t true. In fact, a friend once told me, “I can’t think of anything I should be worrying about. That worries me.” These days there’s no shortage of worrisome matters competing for our concern, ranging from global terrorism to natural disasters to the how our favorite football team will fare in the fall to the everyday uncertainties of life.

Recently, after yet another senseless shooting in a Louisiana motion picture theater, a news commentator asked two eyewitnesses if they had ever thought about going to see a movie and being confronted by someone bringing a gun and opening fire. “What a dumb question,” I thought. Do we sit in our homes, worrying about whether an airplane will fall on top of them? That happens once in a while, you know. Do I drive down the road, fretting that a sinkhole will suddenly open up, swallowing my car and me? That occasionally occurs, too. If we agonized about every potential calamity we might encounter, we’d never go or do anything.

Sure there are things we should be concerned about and when appropriate, take precautions. Like not leaving a toddler sitting on a kitchen counter unattended. Or trying to drive defensively, in case the operator of the approaching car does something stupid. Or striving to live within our income, even setting aside some money if possible, in case of unexpected expenses.

But imagine how much mental and emotional energy unnecessary that worry costs us. In one of her books, the late Corrie ten Boom, who experienced more than her share of hardship and grief, wrote, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.”

It also has the effect of inviting gloom into an otherwise bright, carefree day. Some unknown sage put it this way: “Worry pulls tomorrow's cloud over today's sunshine.”

I’ve not been a stranger to worry over the years. In difficult times, if you can’t think of anything to do, worrying at least feels like you’re doing something. Adapting MAD magazine’s mantra, I’ve sometimes admitted, “What me, worry? Uh…yeah!” But as ten Boom and Mr./Ms. Anonymous have noted, all that worry really accomplishes is to pull a potential shadow from the future and use it to enshroud the present.

So if we’re not to worry, what should we do? Many admonitions from the Scriptures are helpful, but three immediately come to mind. One is Philippians 4:6-7, which says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

The second is 1 Peter 5:7, which simply states, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” And the third is Isaiah 41:10, which pictures us in the midst of turmoil: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Reading these passages, we’re tempted to respond, “That’s easier said than done.” True, but our response reveals what we believe about God. Walking with God always comes down to obedience, putting faith into action. As Oswald Chambers writes, “Even at the risk of being thought of as fanatical, you must obey what God tells you.”

So when tempted to repeat the immortal words of Alfred E. Neuman and ask ourselves, “What, me worry?” as people of faith our answer should be, “No, I’m trusting God instead.”

Gnashing of Teeth – and Other Pastimes

I’ve been worrying about this blog post. Feeling anxious, fretting about how it will be received. Fearful, agonizing, wringing my hands. I’ve written about this before, but it’s worth contemplating again. It’s…worry.

More than baseball, worry seems to have assumed national pastime status. If there’s anything we can worry about, we will. We even worry when we have nothing to worry about – surely there’s something we should worry about, which worries us.

Take the stock market, our revered economic “indicator.” Many times it rises and falls according to what “might” or “could” happen, based on the latest positive or negative developments. The market’s huge pendulum swings are propelled by fear, worry about the future.

The weather worries us. Experts predict hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, heat waves, or other kinds of severe weather…and we worry. What if this? Or, what if that? Is it because of climate change? If so, let’s worry about what can be done about it.

Alfred E. Neuman of MAD magazine
used to say, "What - me worry?" But
most of us haven't followed his lead.

If such things aren’t sufficient for keeping you happily worried, you can worry about loved ones – or your family as a unit. Or your career, finances, health problems, whether your car will start in the morning. If you’re a big sports fan, you can worry about whether State U will lose that key recruit to the archrival, or whether your team can outbid other teams for the latest superstar’s services.

People on every side of the political spectrum worry about our nation’s direction. What’s the destiny of our society, the “land of the free”?

Recently, TV adapted Stephen King’s sprawling novel, Under the Dome, for a 13-week summer run. What if, as in the story, a giant, impermeable dome fell on your community? No one could get out – and no one could get in. Now that’s something to worry about! It could occur, you know. Stuff happens.

Some people worry about being in an airplane crash. I always liked a friend’s philosophical take on that. He would say, “If you’re destined to die in a plane crash, and don’t get on a plane, then one will fall on your house.”

As a society, we love to worry. We complain, moan, groan, toss and turn in our beds. One thing we don’t often see, but seems like it would be fun to watch, is gnashing of teeth. Maybe people in biblical times worried even more than us, because it talks a lot about teeth gnashing. For instance, it says, “The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away…” (Psalm 112:10).

Jesus also referred to this worrisome tendency. He said, “But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12).

One thing’s certain – if you’re gnashing your teeth, your anxiety level must be really high. “Gnash, gnash, gnash!” “Hey, could you keep the noise down?”

That’s why the Bible offers a “cure” for teeth gnashing: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, that transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Jesus gave His followers the right perspective. “Do not worry about your life…. Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?... And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it…. But seek first his kingdom, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Luke 12:22-31).

Years ago, Alfred E. Neuman, fictitious mascot and cover boy of MAD magazine, offered the motto, “What – me worry?” And singer Bobby McFerrin’s lilting little Caribbean tune suggested, “Don’t worry, be happy.” But let’s face it – we live in an oftentimes scary, always unpredictable world. There’s so much to worry about.

That is, unless we believe God’s in control, as He promises: “For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). Rest in that and we can face each day with anticipation, rather than trepidation.

Pray. Ask. Have faith, trusting God for every one of your needs – and all your circumstances. Jesus is saying, “Enough of that worrying. I’ve got this!” And just think, in heaven there will be no worrying. No gnashing of teeth.