We Shouldn’t Worry – Episode 18

Worry. It’s one of the more destructive things we do in our lives. And yet most of us know we shouldn’t be doing it.

Worry is Bad For Us

For one thing there are direct physical effects. Medical science has found that worrying triggers the “fight or flight” response in our bodies just as if something was attacking us. The fight or flight response is designed to give us a boost of energy, strength, and performance so we can deal with that situation and move on.

But most of the stuff we worry about can’t be dealt with by fighting or running away. The long-term exposure to the fight or flight hormones like adrenaline and cortisol have really negative effects on our bodies.

Having these chemicals flowing through our bodies for prolonged periods have a toxic effect on our glands, nervous system and the heart, and can eventually lead to heart attacks, increased risk of stroke and stomach ulcers. It also causes muscle tension leading to aches and pains and headaches. It can disrupt our digestive system causing either constipation or diarrhea. Plus habitual worrying can suppress our immune system making us more prone to sickness and diseases.

Then there are the negative effects on our brains caused by worry. Worrying disturbs your peace of mind and makes it harder to concentrate on whatever task is in front of you. That can hinder work performance adding more worry. It also disrupts sleep, which also adds to concentration issues and for many people compounds the things they worry about.

If left unchecked, worry can lead to depression and in the most extreme cases can even kill us.

The Bible on Worry

The Bible cautions us about worry. Proverbs 12:25 says:

Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad.

Isn’t it interesting that Solomon knew 3,000 or so years ago what modern medicine has proven. Worry is bad for us and causes depression.

Jesus himself flat out told us not to worry. Here’s how he said it.

"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

"So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

"Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." — Matthew 6:25-34

What Jesus was driving at here that worrying is pointless, so don’t bother doing it.

So the big reasons why we shouldn’t worry are that habitual worrying is very destructive to our bodies and to our mental health. Not only that, but as Jesus so clearly explained, worrying is pointless. Worrying changes nothing.

Worrying is one of those things that nearly everyone does at least from time to time that has significant negative affects and absolutely no positive benefits whatsoever.

We need to stop doing it. The question is how? And that’s something we’re going to start looking at next time.