Why Worry?

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these." Matthew 6:27-29.

By Elizabeth Clark

Getting personal prayer requests offers me subject matter about which I need to reflect from time to time. For I'm realizing that not one of us is so unusual that we don't share similar trials, testing and personal struggles.

One little word has been creeping into several emails lately: "worry." Sound faintly familiar to any of you? Uh-huh, I thought so. This led me to think about what we allow our minds to entertain.

Yes, worry is one of those things we tend to do, even as Christians. And, isn't it odd how we do the worry thing? I have found that I have great faith and peace concerning the matters of others, but then fail miserably concerning my own challenges, or those of my kids. 

The dictionary defines worry as this: to feel anxious; be uneasy; troubled; care; to have an uneasy state of mind. Now let us see what the opposite of this is. How about the word peace?

The dictionary defines peace as: freedom from strife of any kind; harmony, concord, quiet; order; calm; stillness; peace of mind. God's Word encourages us, even exhorts us, not to be double minded.

"But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does" (James 1:8).

So I'm seeing now that when we entertain our minds with worry, we are not practicing peace, and if that is so, then in these times we are being double minded; and, that God says, is not good.

What are some of the things about which we Christians worry? To name a few, we tend to worry about money (or the lack of it), our kids, our marriages, our jobs, our future. Bet each of you has dealt with one or more of these, huh.

I love Max Lucado! Do any of you ever read his stuff? I think he hears directly from the lips of our Father when he writes his books. In Just Like Jesus, Lucado gives a very powerful illustration when he likens our minds to that of a gardener's greenhouse.

He talks about a gardener having a state-of-the-art equipment in which to create the ideal structure for growth. The atmosphere in this greenhouse is perfect. But then the gardener goes out into a field and strips seeds off of all the weeds around him in order to plant them in his perfect greenhouse.

When asked by his observer the question: "I thought you wanted a greenhouse full of beautiful flowers and fruit?" The gardener replies: "I do, but do you have any idea of how much those seeds cost? Besides, you have to drive all the way to the garden center to get them. No thanks, I'm taking the cheap and easy route."

Now you are thinking to yourself, Liz, this is a silly story. No one in their right mind would do such a crazy thing! Well, I think Lucado was trying to show us how we do the same thing spiritually.

We all know that we harvest what we sow. We reap what we plant. Oddly enough, we know this principle when we develop land, yet we tend to forget this when we cultivate our heart.

If we think of our heart as a greenhouse, we quickly see the similarities. Our heart is a magnificent gift from our Father. His purpose for it is to be perfectly suited for growing and producing godly fruit. And, as with a greenhouse, it has to be carefully managed. Becoming excellent, having a Godlike mind takes work and time.

Let's think about something else now. Think about our thoughts as seeds. Some thoughts become flowers. Others become weeds. We sow seeds of hope and we enjoy optimism. We sow seeds of doubt and can expect insecurity. We harvest only what we plant  (Galatians 6:7)!

When we begin to entertain negative thoughts – worry, doubt, fear – can we not expect them to produce a certain harvest? The more we dwell upon negative thoughts, the more we see the evidence of that fruit in our lives. Yuk!!! I don't think any one of us wants such fruit.

If the heart is a greenhouse and our thoughts are seeds, shouldn't we be careful about what we sow? Doesn't it make sense for us to become selective about the seeds we allow to come into the greenhouse? Shouldn't there be a sentry at the door? Isn't "guarding the heart" a strategic task?

In the NIV version of the Bible, Proverbs 4:23  says: "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Another translation reads: "Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life."

Now if you think about this and are not sure I'm right, give it a try for the next week. Test the principle and see it you don't agree. As you awaken tomorrow morning, begin this new week with paying attention to your thoughts. You'll get plenty of opportunities to choose what seeds you wish to plant in your greenhouse. Ask Holy Spirit to help you recognize when you might have planted a "weed" and then quickly get rid of it. Ask Him to help you choose a seed to plant in your heart that will become beautiful fruit. Plants seeds of hope, peace, security, victory, calm...plant God's Word!

Some of our hearts are simply trashed out! Let any lowlife knock on the door, and we throw it open! Anger shows up, and we let him in. Revenge and bitterness need a place to stay, so we ask them to sit down in the living room. Pity wants to have a party, so we show him the kitchen. Don't we know how to JUST SAY NO?

We hear about time management, personnel management, weight management, etc., but what about THOUGHT management? Do we ever stop to think about how much wasted time is spent on stinking thinking? I think God wants all of His children to become good managers of our thought life (Philippians 4:8).

God wants us to put a guard at the gateways of our hearts. He wants us to become mature in His Word, to be able to deny entrance to destructive and negative thoughts.

Jesus guarded His heart. If He did, shouldn't we do the same? Believe what you think, because your thoughts run your life" (Proverbs 4:23). Jesus wants our hearts to be fertile soil that will produce beautiful fruit. He wants us to have a heart like His. That's His goal for us. He wants us to think and to act as He did.

But, some of you are thinking: "But how, Liz? I've done this type of thinking for so long. How do I stop worrying, of becoming fearful, or feeling doubtful?"

Well, I don't think our LORD meant for it to be very difficult. In fact, I think He wants it to be quite simple. We can be transformed if we make one decision: I will submit my thoughts to the authority of Jesus Christ.

Jesus has all authority over heaven and earth! He will help you to change your thinking to become more and more as His. He WANTS you to have "the mind of Christ." Jesus has authority over your ideas and thoughts if you simply give Him permission to do so.

So pull out those destructive weeds in your greenhouse this very moment. Instead of being double minded, desire now to be single minded as Christ. Pull up worry, doubt, fear, bitterness, unforgiveness, pride, arrogance, and self-abasement. Pull up the junk and begin replacing it with seeds that, when sown and fertilized, will reap for you a rich harvest of success, peace, joy, and all the fruits of God's Holy Spirit.

YOU can do ALL THINGS through Jesus Christ Who gives you strength (Phil 4:13)!

Liz Clark and her husband, Bob, live in the beautiful mountainous area of Northern Georgia. 
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