Obedience and Surrender

Reader Poll

What part of your life is most difficult to surrender to God? My finances My future My past My family My physical body My feeling of control View Results

 

Look What God Is Doing!

Battling Worry

by Claire Shackelford

I come from a long line of worriers. We worry that we worry too much. I have spent the greater half of my middle adulthood fighting back the temptation of worry. Worry, fret and anxiety can easily become a way of life, and what they leave in their path is usually not productive, helpful or healthy.

Since my son and husband joined the military and left home, I have had to work hard to not allow myself to become overwhelmed with fear and worry. It is very hard as an inherent worrier to not let myself dwell on the possibilities of what my son is going through on the battlefield. Prayer has been what keeps me going. In prayer I simply take a moment to reflect on God’s nature, His power and abilities, and I thank Him for all He has done for us already. I can ask God to keep my men strong and healthy and protect them from the danger around them. The burden for the moment is lifted. I have given my concerns to One who is able to handle them.

Here are 10 great reasons not to worry:

1. Worry erodes your faith, which is built on trusting in the sovereignty of God.
2. Worry leads to stress and anxiety, which have a negative impact on our physical bodies.
3. Worry is a waste of time because it accomplishes positively nothing.
4. Worry can be addictive, because some people feel the only control they have in their lives is their ability to worry.
5. Worry is paralyzing and causes people to ignore the real problems right in front of them.
6. Worry is a master and, until a worrier gains control over her thinking, she is captive to her worry.
7. Worry is a form of debt in which we “borrow” from a bank of potential future happenings to pay for an immediate need of feeling in control.
8. Worry is a thief that robs us of our peace and gratitude for what we have been given.
9. Worry is a fantasy life consuming a person with dreaming up impossible probabilities.
10. Worry is a form of defeat because it means we have given up on what we actually can control and have chosen to hide.

CLAIRE SHACKELFORD is knee deep in the Army! Her oldest son is an infantry soldier and is deployed to Iraq. Her husband joined at an older age and was injured during the last half of Officer Candidate School. He has chaptered out to rehab the leg he broke during training. She has four children and holds a master’s degree in social work, but she is currently a stay-at-home mom.