by Lucinda Secrest McDowell @LucindaSMcDowel

When I arrived home from the conference Sunday evening, I realized a hitchhiker had accompanied me in the door.

His name was Worry.

At once, he set to work bringing up all those things that had conveniently been dormant while I had focused on an enjoyable weekend of ministry. One by one, people and circumstances – ‘what ifs’ and ‘if onlys’ – popped into my mind and got me to thinking.

And worrying.

Letting the Hitchhiker of Worry In

I might as well have just snatched back from God everything (and everyone) I had ever entrusted to Him. I might as well have emailed my audience to just forget what I had taught them, because by now even I wasn’t buying it.

I’d retrieved those worries and was planning to carry them – drag them – along into my new week. Oh yeah, that hitchhiker had already settled into my home and heart quite comfortably.

Are you worried about your current writing project or that proposal you haven’t heard from yet or whether or not you will fall on your face at your next speaking engagement?

Honey, worry can strangle your soul!

Worry Won’t Get You Anywhere

My grandmother used to say “Worry is a lot like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but you don’t get anywhere.”

Actually, worry causes regress, not progress. Experts say that most of what we spend time worrying about never actually comes to pass. Think of all that time and energy spent worrying, now lost to us forever.

I, for one, do not have any time or energy to waste that way.

I’m also not prepared to pay the price of holding on to my worries. “Just from a medical perspective, living in a constant state of anxiety, worry, or fear can cause all kinds of irritability and frustration, mood swings, depression, and decreased mental function.”

Leave Worry with the Lord

I’d rather do what the Bible says, Leave all your worries with Him, because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5.7 TEV

God wants to carry our burdens. He wants to assure us that He has everything under control and we can leave all concerns in His care. Dr. Richard Swenson says, “God is not pacing the throne room anxious and depressed because of the condition of the world. He knows, He is not surprised, and He is sovereign.”

Worry Is Violent

Some of us excuse our worrying by saying that it’s just our nature to do so. Nothing could be further from the truth – we make a choice to worry.

Not only that, the root words for ‘worry’ are rather violent. The Old English derivation is wyrgan, which means to strangle. This term later evolved into worien, which meant grabbing another creature by the throat with your teeth and shaking it to death. Okay.

Author Christin Ditchfield explains, “When we worry, that’s what we do. We deliberately ignore God’s admonishment to take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10.5), not be anxious and trust Him…Instead, we latch on to a bunch of negative thoughts. We grab them with our teeth and refuse to let go of them. We churn. We toss and turn. We shake them this way and that. From a distance it looks like we’re strangling them. But the truth is, they’re strangling us.”

Kick Worry to the Curb

Kick that hitchhiker out of your heart and home! He has no place in your writing for the Kingdom!

Will you leave every person, every circumstance, every concern at the foot of the Cross and draw near to the One who cares for you and me? What’s one method you use to kick worry to the curb?

“Father, thank you for providing for my every need. Thank you that I don’t have to spend my days consumed with worry; I can be consumed with You. No need enters my life for which you have not already planned and provided. I choose to keep anxiety from cluttering my heart, and instead let it be filled with You. Amen.”  – Jennifer Kennedy Dean

©2018 Lucinda Secrest McDowell

Lucinda Secrest McDowell, M.T.S., is passionate about embracing life — both through deep soul care as well as living courageously to touch a needy world. A storyteller who engages both heart and mind, she delights in “Helping you Choose a Life of Serenity & Strength.” 

A graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Furman University, McDowell is the author of 13 books and contributing author to 30+ books. Her books include the award-winning Dwelling Places (2017 Christian Retailing BEST Award), Ordinary Graces (2018 SELAH finalist), Live These Words, Refresh! and Role of a Lifetime.

A member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA), Lucinda received Mt. Hermon “Writer of the Year” award and guest blogs monthly for The Write Conversation and Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference Blog. 

Whether co-directing  “reNEW ~ retreat for New England Writing,”  pouring into young mamas, or leading a restorative day of prayer, she is energized by investing in people of all ages.

Lucinda’s favorites include tea parties, good books, laughing friends, ancient prayers, country music, cozy quilts, musical theatre, and especially her family scattered around the world doing amazing things.  Known for her ability to convey deep truth in practical and winsome ways, she writes from “Sunnyside” cottage in New England and blogs weekly at http://www.EncouragingWords.net/