Reflections on Book Winning the War on Worry

 "You worry too much.  Just enjoy the ride!" 

Someone told me that many years ago.  To tell you the truth, I had no idea what that meant.  I still don't think I'm 100% sure I understand the idea of seeing life as a "ride" which I should enjoy and not as a valley of darkness and fears that I must constantly fret about.  How does one even begin to approach life like that?  I have no idea.  I guess, maybe, looking more closely to the analogy of a "ride" could bring some light into this matter...let's see...a ride...a ride...

Well, I don't ride horses or motorcycles or skateboards. I have not been on a bicycle in decades.  I do, however, ride in cars...but better yet, my mind just went to rides at amusement parks.  I do enjoy those very much!  We didn't have amusement parks in Panama when I was growing up down there so I never really experienced the thrill of a good ride until I was in my early twenties.  I still remember the first time I rode in the Steel Phantom at Kennywood!  WOW!

I think I passed down my love for amusement park rides to my sons.  They practically grew up riding them.  I remember pushing Grant and then later Dylan on our little umbrella stroller around many parks, and as soon as they were tall enough, they began to ride.  One of my favorite memories was of the first time we took them to Disney.  Dylan was only 5 years old.  We were in line to ride the Tower of Terror and Dylan asked Dan:  "Daddy, are we going to die?"  Poor child...it was terrifying, indeed, but he did it and we all survived.  It was exhilarating! We still continue to go to amusement parks as much as we can.  Last year we went to Universal and we stood in line for 2 hours to ride the new Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.  It was probably the best ride I've ever been in.  It was surprising and unique.  Not much like any other.  Of course, now I have to take something like Dramamine or Bonine to keep my lunch steady inside my tummy...but I enjoyed every bit of that ride...hmmm...

Why am I able to enjoy these crazy rides without worrying one bit about anything?

Let's see...I don't worry about a thing because I trust that the amusement park has taken every precaution to make sure the rides, while scary, are totally safe.  I trust that even though the climbing is steep, the turns are crazy, and there are many bumps along the way, at the end, I will land without harm.  Well...I wonder...if I can trust the corporations that own the amusement parks (which only care about profit) to keep me safe...why can't I trust My Amazing God, who wonderfully and carefully made me and loves me so much that He sent His Only Son to save me?  

Perhaps the reason I can blindly trust Kennywood, Disney, and Universal but have a hard time fully trusting the God of All Creation is because I'm believing the lies the enemy feeds me about God and His Goodness.  

Louie Giglio in the book, Winning the War on Worry points out something in chapter 1 that really got to me.  He says:  "We've already established that the root of worry is fear.  And fear doesn't come from God.  Thus, at the heart of worry is the devil.  And Scripture is clear - the devil is a liar." (page 1)

He adds:  "worry isn't just a bad habit.  Worry is an enemy tactic - a strategy built on lies that are designed to rob you of peace and tear your mind to pieces." (page 1)

There you have it.  I don't think I ever heard this message any clearer.  Worry is NOT from God.  On the contrary.  He wants us to trust Him completely to the point that we worry about nothing because He is in charge...our lives are in His Hands...the most capable and trustworthy hands ever.  But we do worry.  We worry because the enemy is skillful and he knows how to infiltrate our defenses in ways that are often imperceptible to us.  And if we are not aware of this truth, or we allow ourselves to forget it, we begin to believe all the lies he feeds us and worry takes over.  

Well, I am deeply grateful to the Holy Spirit for guiding authors like Pastor Giglio to write about this topic.  And I'm deeply grateful to my dear friend for bringing this book to my attention.  And, above all, I'm most gratefully delighted for the love of My Lord and Savior, whose patience is inexhaustible and whose care is unending.  I pray that as I read this little book I can finally understand that it is possible to worry less and enjoy the crazy ride of this life more.  In Jesus' Precious Name, the Name that deserves all of our trust.  Amen!