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The Worry Trap
The other day my mother’s home health nurse commented that her blood pressure was unusually high. She chalked it up to the hammering and movement of the men above us putting a new roof on our house, but I knew the truth—she’d gotten a call about my nephew getting into trouble again at school and was worrying herself sick about it.
I come from a long line of worriers.
My grandmother could create a tragedy out of an instance that hadn’t even occurred yet. My mother is the same way and I too have inherited their propensity to worry about circumstances.
Worry is like a disease of the mind. It ties you up in knots, affects your health and your relationships and ultimately your quality of life. But the worst thing about worry is that it keeps you from moving forward. You’re trapped right where you are, planted in a terrible spot where nothing good can grow.
I think about all the way back to the Garden of Eden where there was nothing at all to worry about. Everything was provided and all of Adam and Eve’s needs were met by the wonderful environment God had created.
Then the fall happened and everything changed.
The world looked dark and scary and God must have seemed so distant.
Did Eve wonder how she and Adam would make it without the security God had given them? Did she worry about the pain of childbirth and stare into her baby’s face and worry about the world he would grow up in? Of course she did. She’d seen paradise and the world outside it was devastating. She had literally seen the face of God and knew Him intimately. She knew his goodness and his power and His mercy. Yet she’d doubted Him even in the midst of paradise.
Before you’re quick to jump in and judge her, don’t, because we, my friends, are just like her.
We too have the wonderful gift of knowing God intimately and through it I discovered the key to not allowing worry to take over my life—His Word. Isaiah 59:1 states “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear to dull to hear.” God knows our troubles and can fix or change any problem we face.
I’ve come up with a few simple steps I’ve learned to help me barrel through when the propensity to worry strikes.
- Trust that God is good and wants what is best for you.
- Store His word in your heart so it will always be with you.
- Remind yourself constantly of His promises and His goodness.
- Focus your eyes on the Lord instead of on your problem.
I know they seem simple, and they truly are…but simple and easy aren’t always the same thing. We’re no longer in the Garden where things were perfect, but we are still under the protection and grace of the One who created perfection and He has not forgotten us.
Thank to Leanna for allowing me this opportunity today to share with all of your friends and followers. Have a happy birthday and a blessed time with your son!
Blessings!
Virginia Vaughan
photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/85608594@N00/17048581699">Eckhart Tolle Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href= "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license)</a>
Author Virginia Vaughan was born and raised in Mississippi and has never strayed far beyond those borders. Blessed to come from a large, Southern family, her fondest memories include listening to stories recounted by family and friends around the large dinner table. She was a lover of books even from a young age and soon started writing them herself. She now writes for Love Inspired Suspense. Her current release Reunion Mission, Book 2 in her Rangers Under Fire series, received 4 ½ Stars Top Pick from Romantic Times while Book 1, Yuletide Abduction won a RT Reviewer’s Choice Award.
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