Don’t worry. Be happy?
Don't worry. Be happy! That's in the Bible, right? Well, if it isn't, then it should be, at least according to many Christians.
Have you ever worried about anything? I sure have. It's an inherited trait from my dear mother. She was a chronic worrier. But that is probably the only poor trait she had. I miss her.
Is worry a bad sin?
It wasn't until I stepped into the Reformed camp and seminary, and then in the Nouthetic counseling world where any hint of worry was a second-degree sin; first degree being murder, stealing, and adultery. My family and I lived in that world for thirty-something years.
Those Reformed circles were a mix of Reformed teachings with fundamentalism. Fundamentalism thrives on and lives out of rules and regulations. It is a blend of legalism and moralism, but heavy on the legalism.
Admittedly, I’m a recovering Reformed fundie. Thank God.
In that world, one may not be anxious or worried, but sometimes they make allowances for having concerns. The reason for this is that Jesus tells his disciples not to worry and Paul tells us not to be anxious. So, those are commands, right? And commands are laws you obey or your sin against.
The Bible commands us not to worry, right?
Having studied deeper than what I had been told all those years, the point of Jesus’ and Paul’s apparent admonitions is to encourage. You see, legalists love to take indicatives and turn them into imperatives, even though the Bible does not do that. But legalists gotta legal everything.
So, those passages on anxiety and worry are not given to us to add more weight on our already heavy lives. That’s what the Pharisees did. They put very heavy proverbial yokes on people and added more and more rules, like bricks, until they were to the point of being crushed. And of course, if you are crushed, that means you are a failure and not worthy of anything. If you can’t handle the yoke, you can’t work hard enough and handle the load, then you must not be a real Christian.
However, Jesus countered such oppressive nonsense.
However, Jesus countered such oppressive nonsense. He said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30; CSB). Jesus is the Promised One of ancient times who bears our griefs, carries our sorrows (Isa. 53:4).
We do not have to worry because Jesus goes with us and gives us rest (Exod. 33:14), who leads us beside still waters (Psa. 23:2). He enriches us so we can have rest (Psa. 116:7) and as the Promise Savior, he gives us rest from our sorrows, fear, and hard work (Isa. 14:3).
For decades pastors, elders, Nouthetic counselors, and others would scold me if I dare admitted anxiety or worry. After throwing their favorite out-of-context verses at me, they would add other supposed biblical advice like, ninety percent of what you worry about never happens, so stop it.
The thing is, I can give you plenty of examples where my worries did pan out. For example, with one of our children, every bad thing my wife and I worried might happen did happen!
The harsh and pious brick loaders heap more bricks on us when they tell us we are sinning badly for worrying and expecting us to stop the anxiety in our own strength and effort. Well, Jesus’ words are not like that at all. He takes those worrisome things and assures us we do not have to worry and then gives us great examples for why–because if he can provide for all his creatures, he can provide for us.
Besides hearing the merciful and gracious words of Jesus, we can also come to understand the physical-mental reasons why we get anxious.
First, in the New Testament, worry that is unhealthy and unhelpful (Greek merimnao) means being overly concerned, divided, or torn up.
Second, anxiety is a function of the brain and body. It’s not merely a spiritual matter or a problem of sin. It is physiological.
Anxiety is the emotional sensation found in the basal ganglia region of the brain. “This is the same place that integrates feeling and movement, shifts and smooths fine motor behavior, suppresses unwanted motor behaviors, and enhances motivation and mediate pleasure and ecstasy” (Daniel Goleman).
Third, God gave us this emotion as a warning light:
a. It’s a default mode to make us search for imperfections, problems, or threats. When the brain finds something perceived as an imperfection or threat, it sets off an alarm of discomfort and pain. It is trying to help us focus on the problem in order to find a solution. This is so we can learn how to identify the problem develop a plan for similar problems or ways to avoid the issues. This alarm provokes us to do something. If we do not act, the alarm becomes more intense, affecting perception, appetite and sleep.
b. Sometimes our plans might not work, but we take actions to relieve the pain.
c. Sometimes anxiety is a result of misunderstanding our situation or a wrong perception of reality (Dr. D. Goleman).
Fourth, anxiety is an aspect of proper concern for life’s issues.
a. Such things bring about inventive plans to address or resolve the matter.
b. Anxiety is the level of emotional pain we feel that is designed to motivate us to make plans to resolve the problems.
c. Unhealthy worry comes when no plan is made, no solution seems to be forthcoming, or there is fear that the plan(s) will not resolve the problem, or the situation is overbearing. In other words, there seems to be no hope. When our brains are overwhelmed for a long time, they can become stuck, so to speak, in the cycle of anxiety.
Commanding us to snap out of it, to stop sinning, to be a better Christian is not helpful. In fact, it is harmful.
So, for the legalists who try to shame you for your concerns, anxieties, or worries, here is my spiritual advice: Stop it!