The Worry Vortex
By Elin Henderson
“Don’t worry about anything: instead, pray
about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.”
Philippians
4:6 (NLT, emphasis added)
Many of us experienced (to some
degree or another) the infamous “Polar Vortex” of this past winter - - and we
are all praying it doesn’t strike again, right??! A cold mass of air moved down from the Arctic
and just sat there whirling around the Northern part of the United States.
What if the program you are listening
too suddenly stopped and you heard a “BEEP! BEEP! BEEEEEP!! This is a report from the Severe Worry
Warning Center,
an area of pressure has formed over your
heart and a cycle of inefficient thoughts have been seen whirling around a
center of fear. A severe worry warning has been issued!” If only, we
would say! Usually, like most storms, we aren’t given much warning and are left
to deal with the aftermath.
This is exactly how Corrie Ten Boom
describes worry. She said, “Worry is a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling
around a center of fear.” [1] We have “Worry Vortexes” that form
in our hearts and souls continually. It doesn’t take much to spur one on and
unless we are prepared, we are often majorly affected! The “pressure” moves in
and the next thing we know, our senses are flooded with inefficient thoughts
about it. This is further worsened by a sinking feeling of fear that whirls
uncontrollably in our spirits.
So, how can we prepare ourselves for
the oncoming “Worry Vortexes” that plague us continually? Paul gives us some
clues in Philippians 4:6-8. Let’s work backwards. In verse 8, we see that as we
place our whirling inefficient thoughts before Him, and focus in on what is
true and good, and we take the time to pray and even thank Him (verse 6), He
moves in and replaces the center of fear with a center of peace (verse 7), thus
disbanding the whole vortex!
Let’s stay alert to the Worry Warning
Centers of our hearts. When we feel the pressure moving
in and a new center of fear forming, let’s quickly disband it by applying
Philippians 4:6-8! By His strength we can send these Worry Vortexes back to where they came from!
GOING DEEPER:
1. We can’t stop the
pressures from forming in or on our hearts, but using the above, what can you
do to keep them from becoming worry vortexes?
2. How do inefficient
thoughts lead to fear and thus worry?
FURTHER READING:
[1] http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/181088-worry-is-a-cycle-of-inefficient-thoughts-whirling-around-a
Oakwood’s
missionaries Elin Henderson (a registered nurse) and her husband Phil serve as
church planters with New Tribes in Mozambique, Africa. Elin is mother to fourteen-year-old
Callie and eleven-year-old Elias.
