“When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened.” ~Sir Winston Churchill
A while back, I tackled this topic “Ways to stop the worry cycle” on Yahoo. Worry besets the majority of us all of us at one time or another. Some have the tendency more than others, but we all have had our moments. The article discusses ways we can stop the cycle, but here I want to tackle the WHY of worry. If it is common to man, there must be a reason. Worry can also fall under the sin/bad habit/weakness category. We all do it, even though worry has been proven to do absolutely nothing for us and a whole lot to us. It causes stress related illnesses, interferes with our ability to act and communicate/relate with others, and it keeps us bound to the fears that inspire it.
Let’s peek under the cover
When we lift the lid (a smoke-screen of genuine concern) off worry, we see at least three things. They are fear, control/pride, and lack of trust. While we may find other factors swimming around in the worry goo, these are the main ingredients. Sadly, many are unaware these things lurk under their tendency to worry.
Fear
We fear outcomes that might hurt us. When we worry, we project onto the future some made-up in our mind outcomes for future events. These are the “what ifs” that often steal our present by causing us to waste time on a fruitless endeavor: worry. In most cases, our worst case scenerio never happens. We will, however, have gone over every possible scenerio and it’s possible conclusion and effect on us {Yes, it’s all about us}, wasting time, brain cells, energy and more.
Control/Pride
I put these two together because they are buddies. We want to control the things that happen in our lives. We have a tendency to want to avoid pain and gain the best outcome for ourselves. It’s still about us, because pain to others causes pain to us as well. Pride comes in when we actually believe we have control. We are saying, in essence: “I could do it better if…”; “My life would be better if…”; or “I think the best out come is…”. All of this involves thinking we know better than God or that we can actually control the future. NOT!
Lack of trust
This is at the core of worry. It is the broth that brings the rest together. We don’t trust others with our future, and we certainly do not trust God with it. If we did, we would go to Him in prayer and then trust that He has our back. One thing that amazes me, and yet is part of human failing, is that no matter how many times God shows himself in our lives (or how many times our worries are fruitless), we still continue to worry! The Bible gives us example after example in the story of the Israelites of how they worried and complained (not just a failing of Israelites), God provided, all was good for a bit, the worry/complaint cycle begins again. I’m thinking I’m so glad I’m not God, because my patience (and I’m a patient person) would fall so far below what He showed to the Israelites and to the rest of us every day!
What the Bible says about worry:
Matthew 6:25-27 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Luke 12:25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you;my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
Quotes on worry:
Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.- Corrie Ten Boom
I’ll give you some symptoms of a sign that your faith is deteriorating–whenever you face all of your problems and you trust only your plans to get you out–it is a sign that your faith is deteriorating. – T.D. Jakes
No one can pray and worry at the same time.- Max Lucado
Knowing that God is faithful, it really helps me to not be captivated by worry. But knowing that He will do what He has said, He will cause it to happen, whatever He has promised, and then it causes me to be less involved in worrying about a situation.- Josh McDowell
Worry is the sin of distrusting the promise and providence of God, and yet it is a sin that Christians commit perhaps more frequently than any other.- John MacArthur
Do not worry about whether or not the sun will rise. Be prepared to enjoy it. —Author Unknown
Now That All your worry Has proved such an Unlucrative Business, Why Not Find a better Job. —Hafiz
What kind of things do you worry about?
How does worry effect you physically? emotionally? spiritually?
What percentage of the things you worry about actually happen?
Do you have any tips for stopping the worry cycle?
What else do you want to say about the subject?
doyoumeanwhatiknow 
Jan 18, 2012 @ 22:12:13
This is a good list. Worry is a lack of trust. So much of what is worried about cannot be controlled. Very few of the things I have ever worried about come true. I don’t worry about too much these days, for whatever reason.
Jan 18, 2012 @ 22:58:10
Good. I’m not a worrier either. In fact, I often say “Praise the Lord” when I see trouble coming because I know from experience that God will be in it:)