Can Worry be Good?

Usually, when we think of worry being good, we think of three areas.

1) Worrying about Warnings

People often worry because they have not listened to someone's warning. They might say in their mind, "I wish I had taken their advice." Generally speaking, worries will be helpful here to bring us back to careful living. These worries persist until we no longer need that warning. In order to get rid of this worry, we only need to follow the advice. For example, If the roads are icy, you should take people's warnings to stay off the roads except for an emergency. Or the worry of hell should trouble us until we have resolved these eternal issues. Worry only here can have good benefits. But these worries should not continue. The warnings should be heeded.

Many believe that worry brings a stronger compulsion to study, work hard, etc. If this is called anxiety, it is not what Jesus referred to. Worry disables us rather than enables us.

Anxieties keep us from our work rather than assist us.

How many have skipped church because of some exam or research? Clearly they have not trusted God to care for them. Earthly things have ensnared their soul.

2) Worrying for others.

We often worry about other people. For example, parents often worry about their children. This is better than absolutely no concern, but it falls far short of entrusting their children into God’s hands. As long as they worry, they are relying on their own resources. The scriptures advise us to pray and trust God to work out the difficulty.

3) Worrying as a motivator.

Many believe worry is a good motivator. This is not true except in the case of warnings. In this case the persistent worry causes a person to keep looking at the alternative. But in other cases, worry typically leads us to thinking without doing, stress without relief, and distraction rather than focus.

In order to test this, simply go back to every worry and see whether you are being motivated to do something that is right, good or lovely. If not then, we must admit that our worries are unprofitable. We must resolve them.

Worry is the preoccupation of some matter to the point that we are restless in our souls and confused in our minds. In this case peace comes only when we are confident that the situation will turn out the way we expect. Worry is the opposite of peace.

Christians live by faith in the invisible God who promises to care for all their needs. We are not always sure how things might work out. That is okay. God will care for those things we cannot care for. We boast not in our ability or circumstances but in God who works all things out well. Philippians 4:19 says,

"And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

How can I get rid of my worries? Next page.