Heard somewhere—“I am not anxious. I am just extremely well-educated about all the things that can go catastrophically wrong.”

There are indeed plenty of things that can go wrong. Sickness, accidents, family problems, difficulties at work…the list goes on and on. Someone once said that you are always either coming out of a crisis or heading into one! I am not sure if I want to subscribe to that statement as a philosophy of life, but there is some truth to it.

Jesus says that we will not be exempt from bad things happening to us. In fact, he says, “…In this world you will have trouble…” (John 16:33). We will not be spared from unfortunate events and circumstances simply because we are followers of Jesus. But the next part of that verse says, “…But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Because Jesus has overcome the world, we have nothing to fear. Jesus says we should not worry (Matthew 6:25-34), yet many Christians are just as fretful as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs! Someone once said that worry is enjoying a crisis before it occurs!

Seriously, worry never made any situation better. As a matter of fact, worry leads to stress, and excessive stress has been proven to have a significantly negative impact on a person’s physical and mental well-being.

Martha was a worrier. Do you remember reading about the time when Jesus was a guest at Mary and Martha’s house? Martha was concerned about all the preparations that had to be made. She wanted to be a good hostess, especially for Jesus! But her sister Mary showed no such concerns for the household chores. Instead, she chose to sit near Jesus and listen to what he said. This bothered Martha so much that she came to Jesus and said, “…Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:40-42).

There certainly seem to be a lot of “Marthas” in the kingdom today. Some of them even seem to take pride in the fact that they worry so much, as if it shows that they are more caring and compassionate than others. In truth, worry betrays a lack of faith in the savior who tells us not to worry. Let’s show more trust in Jesus and spend less time being worried and anxious. The time we waste worrying could be better spent in prayer. If we choose not to be anxious, we will be better off, and so will the people around us.