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 have experienced (to some degree or another) the
infamous “Polar Vortex” of past winters - - 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:
Oakwood’s missionaries Elin
Henderson (a registered nurse) and her husband Phil serve as church planters
with Ethnos 360 in Mozambique, Africa.
Elin is mother to eighteen-year-old Callie and fifteen-year-old Elias.
