Saying Good-bye To Worry

“Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.”

Philippians 4:6 (NLT)

“Don’t worry.” Two simple words; easy to say, but not as easy to do.

How can we live without worry? It seems natural to worry. If we really care, there are times we have to worry. But let’s look at it again.

“Don’t worry about anything.”

This clears up any questions or arguments. How simpler could this statement be? Don’t means don’t. Anything means anything.

As far back as I can remember, I worried. About this, about that. And then I would begin again. I assume I was worry-free at some point in my early years, but frankly, I cannot remember such a time.

While growing up, I spent a lot of time with my grandparents, whom I dearly loved. But my Granny was a professional, A#1, top-notch worrier. To make things worse, she shared every worried thought which passed through her worried mind. I was a sponge, soaking in her way of thinking. My Grandpa would laugh at her and ignore her cautions; and though I wanted to side with his positive attitude, I found myself worrying with her instead.

I’d like to say I grew older and wiser and left the worries behind, but that’s not the way it was for me. As I grew, so did the worries. I learned to function with them and kept most of them to myself.

The year I got married things finally came to a boiling point. It was one of the happiest times in my life, but it also became one of the most difficult. I was experiencing some chronic health issues my doctor was having trouble diagnosing while enduring added stress at work. My parents and younger sister were out of the country. This was before cell phones, so we had very little communication, and I didn’t even know where they were most of the time. All of the worries and stress became too much for me. What once was a handful of small worries became a stronghold of fear in my life. I began experiencing panic attacks.

My panic attacks consisted of shortness of breath and chest pains, followed by numbness in my arms, legs, and face. I had panic attacks on a daily basis but I hid them quite well. Most people had no idea I was having them, but I was miserable. I never knew when one would start. I didn’t want to be with people, but I didn’t want to be alone.

“Your life shall hang in doubt before you; you shall fear day and night, and have no assurance of life. In the morning you shall say, ‘Oh, that it were evening!’ And at evening you shall say, ‘Oh, that it were morning!’ because of the fear which terrifies your heart, and because of the sight which your eyes see.”

Deuteronomy 28:66, 67 (NKJV)

That is exactly how I felt. I dreaded the day and I dreaded going to bed at night.

It was time for me to get real about my worries and my fears. I first met Jesus when I was 6 and had loved Him since, but I hadn’t allowed Him in to this part of my heart.

I made quite a few changes all at once which ended up being a shock to my system. I gave up caffeine and sugar to let my body detox. I quit my job once I realized the stress was inevitable because of irreconcilable differences with my boss. I shut out as many negative voices as possible, less news watching and lessening my time spent with negative people. The last thing I did, and the most important, was grab my Bible and a pack of index cards. I wrote down every scripture I could find on fear, worry, and peace. And let me tell you, there’s a bunch of them. Everyday, over and over, I would read the handwritten scriptures on those cards, and I began to change.

I cannot tell you how long it took. I really don’t know for sure; but with each passing day, I got better. Sometimes I would get rid of one fear only to discover another one on its heels; but one by one, I left them behind. The panic attacks left me in the first year, lessening as time passed. It really was a minute by minute struggle for quite a while, but I began to have more good minutes which eventually added up to good days. And now those good days have turned into many good years.

In these 30 plus years since, I’ve had my tussles with worry and fear. I’m still prone to falling back into those bad habits, so I have to watch myself. What got me free is the same thing that keeps me free, the Word of God.

I don’t know what happened to those well-worn index cards, but now I pull out my Bible and turn to scriptures on peace and trusting God. Those scriptures have become part of me and I know exactly where to find them in the Bible.

“Don’t worry about anything.” As difficult as it sounds, it can be done. As we renew our mind on God’s Word, we can say good-bye to worry.