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[dropcap2 variation=”coffee”]I[/dropcap2] confess. I worry.

I wish I didn’t, and I try not to. But it sneaks up and hijacks me. At times worry seems to be my natural reflex.

 

Growing up under the worry cloud

I admire people who don’t worry. They amaze and inspire me. Susu, my adoptive mom, is a prime example.

Susu tackles life. She engages lovingly with those around her and travels light while shouldering a million and one responsibilities. The temptation to worry seems to slide right off her.

Unfortunately, I’m not Susu. I grew up in a different home, surrounded by uncertainty, fear, and worry. Life was immersed in concerns about finances, health, and how others perceived us. Things were dramatic. Stress and tension permeated the atmosphere.

I grew up under the worry cloud.

 

“Dude! That stuff will eat your mind!”

A little over a year ago, I met Scott.

Scott lived in a nursing home. He had ALS and was steadily declining. He’d lost all mobility except for one finger on his left hand. He couldn’t even hold his head up.

“Thank God I can still talk,” he said.

One day he’d been sharing about his family, but suddenly fell silent. I blinked, and found him gazing thoughtfully at me.

“You okay, Gary? You don’t seem yourself.”

“I…I guess I’m not,” I stammered. “Honestly, I’m worried about something.”

I’ll never forget what Scott said next.

“Dude! That stuff will eat your mind! You’ve got to challenge it, man. You can’t afford to rent out space in your heart for free.”

I was stunned.

 

Challenge the worry? How?

Challenge the worry? How do I do that?

My conversation with Scott let me know I had given in. I was letting worry run over me, unchallenged. I had believed a lie. Deep down I thought worry was an irresistible force.

It’s not. It can be challenged, resisted, and beaten.

I thought about my background. It dawned on me the worry cloud didn’t come from me. It was there before I was born. It hovered over me, but wasn’t a part of me.

I thought, “What if I viewed worry as being outside of me instead of inside?”

That changed everything.

 

Battling Enemy Worry

Now, when the worry cloud descends, I try to…

 

1. Identify the worry

Worry’s power depends on stealth. Its strategy is to infiltrate the mind unrecognized.

We can spend so much time in an enemy’s presence that we cease to see it as dangerous. Worry is a true enemy, a liar, and a thief. We must treat it as such.

Enemy Worry tends to work in patterns. Most of us worry in certain categories: relationships, health, finances, the future, past regrets, etc.

What area seems to plague you the most?

Enemy Worry is no dummy. It’ll keep plugging us with the same stuff as long as it’s got the upper hand.

 

2. Evaluate the worry

What’s that worry really about? How important is that issue, really? How much will it matter five years from now?

That usually puts things into perspective quickly. Identify, then evaluate.

Once the worry is unmasked, it loses some of its power. Once honestly evaluated, it can shrink even further.

 

3. Challenge the worry by taking action

Once we evaluate the worry, we challenge it by taking action.

We call someone.

We include someone and get input.

Sometimes we just need reassurance. Who can give that to us?

We start that project we’ve been procrastinating about.

We take the next step, whatever that is.

The longer we wait to take action, the more worry will spread into every gap it can find. If undealt with, it’ll steal our joy and distract us from our mission.

We can’t afford to let that happen. The world needs us.

 

Some simple wisdom

I’m reminded of some statements tucked away in the New Testament book of Philippians. Here’s my rough paraphrase:

Don’t worry about anything.

Pray about everything.

Practice gratitude.

And leave the results in bigger hands.

 

Go get ‘em!

You won’t be able to keep worry from knocking. The worry cloud will descend from time to time. That’s okay. You didn’t create it. It’s not a part of you.

Identify, evaluate, and act.

Practice gratitude, and leave the results in bigger hands.

Whoa! Did you see that? The worry cloud above you just quivered.

Yes, Enemy Worry, be afraid. Be very afraid.

 

Question: What have you found effective in your battles with worry?
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