To the Chronic Worrier

Before I say anything else, let me tell you that I know how you feel. We’re all in different seasons of life, so your worries may look different than mine. But they’re still very real (and very frequent).

We can blame our bad habit of chronic worrying on our circumstances by claiming that they merit our worry. But to be blunt, all of our worries (including mine) have doubt at their core.

At the Core of Chronic Worry

We’ve seen God work in our lives, but we don’t really think that He’ll work in this particular situation. We’ve read His promises countless times, but we don’t truly believe that they apply to us. We’ve attempted to surrender control of our lives, but we don’t feel like we can give complete control to Him.

Worry isn’t typically intentional, but its presence nonetheless reveals our cynicism. And the solution for worry that’s rooted in cynicism isn’t to just relax and calm down. That solution won’t heal our chronically worrying hearts.

Rather, we must rest in this truth: Christ is faithful.

Christ is faithful whether you attend a private Christian college or a giant secular university. He is faithful whether you have a career in nursing or in nannying. He is faithful whether you get married at age 20 or age 40. He is faithful whether you have one kid naturally or adopt six kids. He is faithful whether you struggle to put food on the table or never have to think about finances. He is faithful whether your ministry reaches two people or 200 people.

I understand that it’s not always easy to know where to go and what to do. Life often feels more like a rollercoaster ride than a straight path. But God can straighten your path, friends.

In All Our Ways

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NASB)

I admit that I struggle to live out these verses—to trust in the Lord will all my heart, not lean on my own understanding, and acknowledge Him in everything that I do. But I know that these words are true.

We can rely on our faithful God. He won’t fail us. We shouldn’t waste our lives feeling worried and overwhelmed.

Chronic Worrier, if you put aside your worries, you can learn to see how God is working in your life and become more dependent on Him. You simply need to open your eyes and see Him—He’ll show you where to go from here.