Worry Less to Live More

Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Matthew 6:27 NLT

I used to worry. I worried when my kids were little. I worried that money was tight. I worried when the kids were sick and ran fevers. How about you, do you worry? Do you spend sleepless nights lying awake with worries and concerns?

This year has brought on a lot of worrying. In a recent report, due to Covid 19, one out of four adults over sixty-five deal with anxiety and depression. Many are from low-income ethnic communities that are not in the greatest of health to begin with. Mental health professionals have seen numbers soar in other age categories, too. We worry, I’d say.

What most of us don’t realize is that worrying is futile. Take a look at our verse today. It says, “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” Does worry help? Do we gain anything from it? Corrie Ten Boom, a well-known writer, says this about worry. “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows; it empties today of its strength.” This is true, worry robs us of our happiness and well-being.

So what are we to do? Worry doesn’t turn off like a light switch. How can we keep ourselves from worry? There is an answer. Read Jeremiah 17:7-8 before continuing; and then let’s see what we can do about it.

This passage uses a figure of speech called a simile. It compares one thing with another. In this series of verses, those who trust in the Lord are compared to the trees planted along a riverbank. It further describes the roots of the tree reaching deep into the water. In other words, the roots are tapping into the water as its source for its well-being. The roots have an endless supply of what they need and are not concerned about heat or drought.

My dear friends, I have learned to do the same. As the tree roots do when the “heat and “drought” come into my life, I tap into my source; the source is God. I trust in the Lord and put my hope and confidence in him to take care of whatever needs I have. Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (emphasis mine).

Putting your faith and trust in Jesus for the first time is your first step. I urge you to make that decision today. My website has a helpful link https://www.lightforthepath.org/the-bridge-to-life.

For the rest of us, who are already believers, why are we worrying? Why are we giving into the enemy’s tricks and schemes that make us worry? It’s time to reconnect to God, confess our lack of faith in him, and trust him. Then we must continue to remember to “tap” into Him the next time worry comes knocking at our door. We may not be able to add moments to our lives, but we’ll live our moments without worry.