OVERCOMING "WORRYITIS"

It's amazing how often I worry about things I don't need to worry about.

The Lord reminded me in a stark way how fruitless and misplaced worry is when I truly reflect on both the majesty and compassion of the God we serve.

But I think I get to the point where worry becomes a chronic condition - something so ingrained in my response to trial it blinds me to the Lord's daily provision. Let's call the condition "worryitis", otherwise known as ENES - Enough is Never Enough Syndrome - a syndrome of which I am a lifetime carrier.

It's embarrassing, actually.

Even if I simply look at the basics - this is what I should be looking at anyway -  in our household, everyday we have:

- Breath in our lungs;

- Time as a family;

- A roof over our heads;

- Clothes on our backs and shoes on our feet;

- Food on our table;

- Two steady paychecks to pay the bills;

- Reliable transportation to get to those jobs

And, yet, nearly everyday I still find something to worry about. I still see something I need - or think I need - that I stress, fret and lose sleep over, "how will we ever possibly manage this?!?" Yes, the self-directed dripping sarcasm is absolutely intended.

And nevermind the daily basics.

- How much stuff do I have in my house that never gets used?

- How much food do I throw away because we have so much we forget it's there and never eat it?

- How many outfits are in my dresser and closet that I cannot remember the last time I wore? 

- How many storage boxes are either in our storage room or (in our case) our parents' basements and attics that have collected dust for months or years?

In other words, I look at a cup that's "filled to overflowing" (Proverbs 3:10), and I still manage to  brood that it is not enough and agonize over where the provision will come from.

It's almost unbelievable to me how I am able to look back on God's constant faithfulness and unwavering abundant provision, and still find room for worry.

As I said, it's a chronic condition.

The good news is, His word also provides an antidote to the condition.

It's called generosity and gratitude.

The reason generosity is such a surefire cure for this condition is because it, by nature, forces me to turn my gaze outward, and by turning it outward, to then turn it upward.

Paul writes in Philippians 2:3-4 (ESV), "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to your own interests, but also to the interest of others." (emphasis mine)

He follows those verses by pointing me directly to Jesus Christ, who gave up heaven - and ultimately His life - out of love for a people who desperately needed the hope of redemption they could find nowhere else.

In other words, before I worry about what I don't have, I ought look first at what I do have, and how I can make someone else's life better with it. Scripture promises countless times the Lord provides abundantly all that we need every single day (though not everything we want). So why do I fight so hard to hold onto so much of it?

So, if you find yourself afflicted with "worryitis", heed the call of Scripture.

Open your eyes today and everyday, and ponder His abundant provision.

Praise God for what He gives you, and share it joyfully to those who do not.

Instead of looking inward, look outward and upward, and Scripture promises you will no doubt see the hand of God - EACH NEW DAY.

And, above all, take your focus off of the material, and place it on the eternal.

After all, the greatest gift we have, above all else, is the hope of eternal life in Jesus Christ.

All temporary troubles are washed away by his blood will fade away in the radiant light of His glorious face.

It is there you will find the eternal cure.