At its core, worry is a defense mechanism. We worry because we think that being prepared for disappointment, heartbreak, and loss will help us be less sad, upset, disappointed, and heartbroken if or when what we worry about does happen. The truth is that worry does not serve us well. As we heard in the weekend message, "Worry doesn't work." Worry does not add anything to our lives. It only takes away. Don't just take my word for it. Look at what Jesus said about worry during one of His most well-known sermons that He preached while He was on earth.
Jesus explained that worry doesn’t work in Matthew 6 while He was preaching in a sermon that we often call "the sermon on the mount." As He was teaching, He talked about worry, saying, "That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear" (verse 25). Now, food, drink, and clothing are necessities that each one of us needs. And yet, Jesus tells us not to even worry about having our basic needs met. Several verses later, Jesus asked a poignant question, "Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?" (verse 27). This was a rhetorical question, not meant to be answered out loud. Why? We already know the answer. It's a resounding "No." Worry cannot add a single moment to our lives.
Each one of our worries adds nothing to our lives. In fact, worry takes away from our lives. Worry steals our joy, keeps us from being present because we are too focused on our worries, impacts our physical health negatively, and more. We choose to worry because we think it will help us be prepared for hardships and heartbreaks. In reality, worry only keeps us from embracing and enjoying the life God has given us today. Worry is a bad companion to us. In other words, worry does not work. Recognizing the negative impact of worry is the first step in the journey toward healing from a mindset of worry.
What are you worried about today? Make a list of all of the things that you are currently worried about. Then, at the bottom of the list, write out Matthew 6:27. Let this verse remind you that “worry doesn’t work.” Our worries only serve to make us more anxious, raise our blood pressure, and cause us to fear the worst. Our worries are not serving us, so let’s let go of them and look to Christ instead.
1“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
