I wrote the following devotional on worry when my sons were much younger. While God taught me through this experience to worry less, it’s still something I have to work on each day. How about you? Do you worry too much?
I am a worrier – big time. I have had a hard time conquering this attitude. I do know to pray and hand my concerns over to God. I know the majority of my fears never happen. I do know that Jesus said worrying will not add any time to your life.
And if you think about it, worrying really only takes time away from your life.
It takes time away by wasting your day dwelling on the negative. Worrying can even shorten your life by having a negative impact on your health from constant stress. Yet knowing all of this, I still have a hard time sometimes getting my worries off my mind. Then, one day one of the scariest things that could happen to a parent happened.
Three days after my oldest son got his driver’s license, he along with his little brother were in a horrific car accident. In fact, it was the first time he was driving his little brother home from school. Our car was totaled, and they were lucky to be alive. They both walked away with just a couple of bruises and scratches.
The accident was not my son’s fault. If it weren’t for his good driving skills and quick reflexes, it could have actually been much worse. God was certainly watching over them and answered our prayers for keeping my sons safe on the road.
Yet in spite of all this, I became even more fearful once my son started driving again. I couldn’t tell him enough times to be careful every time he left to go somewhere. I wanted him to constantly text me as soon as he got to wherever he was going so I wouldn’t be worried.
Deep down, I felt really ashamed of myself too. I knew God had answered my prayers in keeping my sons safe, yet I was paralyzed by fear. I remember asking God to help me get rid of my worry every time my son got behind the wheel.
Sometime later as I was telling my son for the millionth time to be careful, I think my husband finally said enough. He told me I am only hurting our son’s confidence by telling him to be careful so much. I realized my husband was right. Worrying not only affects you, but also those around you.
My worry affects my children when they are trying to learn and accomplish new things. After all, I really wanted my son and eventually his little brother to get plenty of practice and become excellent drivers. I want them both to gain confidence and their independence, so they can take care of themselves as adults one day.
My worry also affects my husband. When I worry about money, it affects his confidence in his ability to provide for our family. When I worry about various problems that our family faces, it affects my husband’s confidence in his ability to solve problems and lead our family.
My worry also affects what other people see in me. It affects my witness as a Christian. My worrying shows others my lack of confidence in God’s control over my life. It shows unbelief in His ability to take care of me when I know He will. Now, when I start to worry about something, God has shown me how much more I need to just trust Him.