What\u2019s wrong with worry? Well\u2026pretty much everything! But perhaps the worst thing about worry is that it can bring on failure, that it can draw the very things you wish to avoid.<\/p>\n
The word \u201cworry\u201d comes from an ancient German word meaning strangle or choke, and that is what worry does: it applies a mental strangling that leads to desperation. Jesus tells us to \u201ctake no thought\u201d for what we eat or wear (Matthew 6:25). The Greek word for \u201ctake thought\u201d is merimnate<\/i>, which means literally to have a divided mind or to be torn in different directions, stifling constructive action.<\/p>\n
Like pessimism, worry can harm the body as well as the mind and will. It has been clinically documented that people who worry have more fractures than those who don\u2019t. And doctors have acknowledged the role of worry in many of their patients\u2019 problems. No wonder the Bible tells us again and again not to worry. Proverbs 12:25 says, \u201cAnxiety in a man\u2019s heart weighs him down.\u201d<\/p>\n
How can you overcome worry? Some people get help from a \u201cworry diary.\u201d Often the simple act of writing down your fears can help you begin to feel that you\u2019re more in control\u2014and that in turn can help you deal with what\u2019s worrying you. After you have listed your worries, go back and\u2014one by one\u2014form a mental image picturing a positive solution or outcome. Make these pictures as detailed as possible. Then, pray with that image in your mind, claiming Jesus\u2019 promise: \u201cEverything is possible for one who believes\u201d (Mark 9:23).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What\u2019s wrong with worry? Well\u2026pretty much everything! But perhaps the worst thing about worry is that it can bring on failure, that it can draw the very things you wish to avoid. The word \u201cworry\u201d comes from an ancient German word meaning strangle or choke, and that is what worry does: it applies a mental […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":30576,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[396],"tags":[248],"ppma_author":[639],"class_list":["post-23873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-deepen-your-faith","tag-scripture"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n