A doctor named Schindler once claimed that half the people going to doctors suffer from the same disease: psychoneurosis. The cause of this disease? Acute anxiety. Worry is also one of the top causes of heart trouble. “Worried sick” is a reality.

This is nothing new. Gypsies said a sad man is a sick man and that sickness is the result of worry. The Greeks used to describe worry as opposing forces at work to tear man apart. The Saxons compared worry to a vicious animal clutching at a man’s throat. Our word “worry” comes from the anglo-Saxon verb “wyrgan” which means to choke or strangle. And of course, the Bible tells us that worry is sinful. Worry is a lack of faith in God’s promise to care for you.

The solution? Don’t worry! Someone estimated that 40% of all worries are about things that never happen and 30% of anxieties are about things in the past that cannot be changed. People spend most of their time worrying about things that they can’t change or that won’t happen! Don’t worry!

Robert Frost said “The reason worry kills more people than work is because more people worry than work.”  If we would put the energy we use to worry into productive activities, that would go a long way toward overcoming the problem of anxiety in our lives.

It is also beneficial to concentrate on today. This is not to say that you should neglect to plan for the future, but that should not become the all-consuming obsession of your life.  If you spend all of your time thinking and worrying about the future, you waste the present. God gives you each day as a gift, time to be used to serve Him. An implication of concentrating on the present is that you won’t spend time worrying about the past. You cannot change what has happened, no matter how much you worry. Much better to simply learn from your mistakes and go on.

One thing from the past you should be thinking about is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Knowing what God has done for you through this act of redemption should remind you that worry is something you can and should live without.

Another suggestion for overcoming worry in your life: Focus your thoughts on God instead of your problems. The prophet Isaiah offers this advice:

Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. 

If you think about God’s care and preservation that He graciously and freely provides for you, worry becomes insignificant. Focusing your thoughts on God reminds you that He has provided for all your needs, the foremost of which is the need to be forgiven. By looking at the cross and the empty tomb, you are constantly reminded that God does care for you and gives you what we need. Surely a God such as this will continue to care for you. You have the message of salvation! You know the way to eternal life. Simply trust in Jesus Christ, who has provided these things as a free gift!

And don’t worry.