For most of my life, I’ve been a worrier. Probably because I spend a lot of time with someone who frequently says, “But what if [insert horrible catastrophe here] happens?” The fear sparked by that question has caused lots of drama and sleepless nights over the years.
You know how it goes. You think through multiple scenarios and script what to say or strategize what to do. Then while you wait for something to happen, you second-guess all your plans and modify them. And then you think of another situation that you might have to deal with, and you have to come up with a possible solution for it while remembering what you are going to do about the original potential crisis.
A few years ago, while carrying several of these burdens, I analyzed how many times these worst cases actually materialized. A conservative estimate is one time out of ten. How many hours—no, years—of my life have been consumed with worrying over nothing?
One day, my dear friend asked me, “What are we going to do if [cataclysmic event] happens?” and I said, “Can we worry about it if and when it happens? I’m too busy to worry about it now.”
“But shouldn’t we be prepared?”
“Why waste time preparing for something that may not even happen?”
The funny thing is, once we acknowledge that a possibility for disaster exists, I think our brains work on it subconsciously, because on those rare occasions that we’ve actually faced a genuine setback, we’ve handled it satisfactorily in the moment. Or maybe God really does have our backs.
Now it’s your turn. Do you panic when you think of possible disasters? Do you ever waste time worrying about something that doesn’t even happen? Are you able to turn off negative emotions when dealing with hypothetical situations? Share in the comments below.
ARHtistic License 
I was a worrier, too. But I read a poem where an older lady wrote that if she had her life to live again, she would have more real worries than imaginary ones. That really hit me, and then when I learned I had colon cancer, surgery and chemo, I just learned that we can’t always be prepared for things. But I trust that God our Father does have our backs, and He will help us to get through. I don’t do what-ifs any more. I prepare for the future, not running up debt, but I know in my spirit that I can survive the worst.
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Cancer, surgery, and chemo are major setbacks. How comforting that we have a God who sees us through.
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I am still a worrier, every day I seem to find something that could go wrong. It’s tough being this way.
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You’ve been through a lot, especially in the last ten years or so. You’re tough! You’ve got Jens. You’re hanging in there. You live in one of the most beautiful places on earth. When life gets you down, remember your blessings and all the people who love you. God loves you, too.
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I tend not to be a worrier, but of course there are still times that I do. Usually my worries are about my children or my aging mother. But often I can stop worrying by reminding myself that it’s out of my hands and that I have a loving God who is already working behind the scenes for our good. It takes effort not to worry, but it’s worth it to try not to.
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You’re right–it does take effort not to worry, or at very least it takes catching yourself and reminding yourself you can handle the troublesome situation if or when it arises.
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I have been called the eternal optimist by DH, but I still worry! My “solution” is Philippians 4…I’ve worried enough to have it memorized.😁
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Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God (Phil. 4:6 HCSB). And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:7 NIV).
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