How to Never Worry About Anything Ever Again
Even when your wall caves in and you don't have the money to fix it
In my early twenties, I played basketball every week with my friends and their neighbors.
I was appallingly competitive and often got into rows, after which I would go home, calm down, and write apology emails.
One day, I was so tired of this routine and disgusted by myself.
“What am I doing?” I said to myself.
“I am going to turn off my competitiveness.”
And I did.
Since that day, I’ve never been competitive with sports and games.
I still try to do my best, but I do so for fun, exercise, friendship, and to exceed myself.
I save my competitiveness for trying to best my previous writing. I want to be competitive for the kingdom of God. I want to be a better dad than yesterday.
It’s been raining here in my part of England for 42 straight days.
Last week, we returned from Wales and discovered our largest stone wall is leaking floods water into our attic and rafters.
Builders are quote us £10,000 sums that we do not have at the moment.
I find myself camping on Matthew 6:25.
“Do not be anxious about your life.”
This is a direct command from Christ.
Anxiety is a sin.
Worry is a sin.
Sin means “missing the mark.”
To be worried or anxious is to disobey Jesus.
All worry and anxiety is just a lack of faith in God’s goodness anyway.
So I am experimenting.
Can I turn off worry and anxiety as I once did with athletic competitiveness?
With the Holy Spirit’s help, I think I can.
Instead of worrying or being anxious, what can I do about our leaking wall?
I can ora et labora — I can pray and work.
I can do whatever is within my power to get the wall fixed.
I can ask God to do everything in His power to provide the funds to get the wall fixed.
When I’m not doing one of these two things (because I’m sleeping or feeding my boys or whatever), I can simply choose to not thing about the wall, trusting that it is still on God’s mind.
And besides — worrying doesn’t fix the wall.
Anxiety adds nothing.
In fact, it makes us less sharp.
Less able to work and pray.
To worry is a form of insanity.
It’s utterly useless.
Long-term, we need financial breakthrough with my career.
Short-term, we need an economic miracle to get this wall fixed before the rafters rot and the roof collapses.
But in the meantime, I feel more peace than I’ve ever felt.
It’s an exceedingly strange new territory.
I will let you know how the experiment goes.
If God can help me turn off worry and anxiety, what else can I turn off?
Impatience?
Anger?
Lust?
Greed?
Sloth?
Gluttony?
Judgment?
Wanting to imprison everyone who doesn’t use the Oxford comma?
Stay tuned.
How about you?
I have to know!
Have you ever quit a sin/bad habit/etc in a short amount of time?
Hit reply or comment below.
PS — I’m writing a wild book on Christian economics. Want free early access in exchange for honest feedback? Message me through my website.
Learn & grow:
Red Light Green Light (human trafficking documentary)
Over 18 (pornography addiction documentary)
Redeeming Uncle Tom (slavery documentary)
A Year of Living Prayerfully (book on prayer) Download for free
Bearded Gospel Men (men’s devotional)
A God Named Josh (book about Jesus)
A Devil Named Lucifer (book about the devil)