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“Some people don’t just worry occasionally. They worry recreationally.”


A thought by John Ortberg from his book, The Me I Want to Be (p. 117). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

But is that something to feel guilty about?

John says, “Maybe you are a champion worrier. Maybe you can’t remember the last time you were not worried. If you ever find yourself not worried, you get worried that there is something you should be worried about. And so, you worry until you figure out what it is. Sometimes when you hear messages or read books about worry, they can do more harm than good, because what you take away is, I shouldn’t worry so much. I guess I just don’t trust God enough. Then you worry about how much you worry.”

He goes on, “Much of our tendency to worry comes from the raw material we were born with. In his book Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman writes that from birth, 15 – 20 percent of children are prone to timidity. They are finicky about new foods, reluctant about new places, and shy around strangers. From birth, their hearts beat faster in new situations. They are genetically predisposed to more guilt and self-reproach. This is so predictable among mammals that exactly the same proportion of cats as humans is prone to timidity. Cats are less curious and are less likely to go to new territory, and they kill smaller rodents. About 15 percent of cats are just born timid.

“Is that a spiritual problem? Are timid cats simply not close enough to God?

“No. God is not distant from any of his creatures.”

John then says, “People who wrestle with deep anxiety or panic attacks are some of the most courageous people I know. If you wrestle with chronic worry, don’t compare yourself with someone who doesn’t. Don’t waste time feeling guilty about worry. Guilt may be just what is needed by someone lying, stealing, or lusting. But guilt simply does not help when it comes to worrying. If you only wrestle slightly with worry, don’t pass judgment on a chronic worrier. Only God fully understands a person’s inner wiring, and the Spirit wants to be a non-anxious presence in every life.”

And I’m glad about that, aren’t you?

Yes, yes!

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