Don’t Worry

Last week I was finally convicted about the level of worry that I allow in my life.  This is one of a few sins that I have become comfortable with.  It is a sin, by the way.  Jesus says “don’t worry” in Matthew 6:25-34.  So, if Jesus tells us to not do something and we do it, then we sin.  I’m assuming that my readers understand this.  I have known that worry is a sin for a long time.  But, somehow worry slips past my spiritual barriers and gets inside my head.  It doesn’t hide the fact that it’s a sin, but it does hide the fact that it is a very dangerous and soul crushing sin.  

To deal with the sin of worry I sat down last week and wrote down all of the things that I worry about from week to week.  The list that I produced took up one and half pages of notebook paper.  When I saw all of my worries written out like that I realized that this sin was nothing short of a stronghold in my life.  Then I let my wife read the list.  I wanted her to know the depth of this sin in my life.  As she read through the list I thought, “this must be the heaviest two sheets of paper in the world.”  

There is some serious value in writing down your thoughts and feelings.  I don’t think I would have realized how big of a problem worry was in my life had I not listed them on paper.  There was something about seeing that list on paper that brought forth the weight and reality of this issue.  Writing these things down helps me flesh things out and gain understanding.  There is a process of learning about myself and knowing God that takes place when I journal about my thoughts and feelings.  This has become one of the most powerful tools that God has given to me to do the work that I am called to do here in South Dakota.  Keeping a journal has saved my life and I can see how it is blessing others around me.  

Now that I am fully aware of the stronghold of worry in my life I can fight back against it.  Katie noticed me saying “no” quietly to myself several times yesterday.  That’s what I do now when a worry pops into my head.  I catch it and then I say “no in the name of Jesus.”  I have to do this a lot everyday and I’m sure I look crazy when I do it.  But, it’s better than having to deal with the eventual anxiety and depression that excessive worry always produces.  

If you struggle with worry, please feel free to reach out to me via email at blake@lakotapeace.org.  I couldn’t write a blog post about this without extending a hand to anyone who shares this struggle.  As a follower of Jesus, I am here to help.