My little brother used to close one eye, hold his thumb and pointer finger about an inch apart from each other up to his open eye and “smush” me. I probably deserved it most of the time.
Isn’t distance perception a funny thing, though? That a nearly 5’9” person can seemingly fit between two tiny fingers?
Big things can seem really small sometimes.
When it comes to present issues in our lives though, doesn’t it seem to feel just the opposite?
Small things seem mammoth.
And most of the time we don’t even realize they are small until we are farther away from them. Then, we glance over our shoulder, hold our thumb and pointer finger an inch a part, and easily “smush” them.
I am queen of thinking the world is ending all of the time. The weird thing is it still hasn’t. But still, my anxiety continues to reappear.
Here are three questions I find helpful to ask myself when worry is consuming me. As corny as it is, writing out my answers and looking back over them often times gives me a new perspective. Hopefully these can help you out next time worry knocks at your door:
1. What am I worried about?
It seems like a silly question, but the reality is a lot of times we don’t even know what is making us anxious, if we even acknowledge we are. Write out what is worrying you. You may realize it’s something silly when you see it on paper. Many times it isn’t, but it can still be out of perspective. That’s when you head to the next question.
2. Why am I worried about it?
Write out why that thing, whatever it is, is worrying you. And don’t stop at one “why”. After your initial answer, keep asking. Are you worried about your finances because your bank account is running low? Why are you worried about your bank account running low? Keep going until you get to the root of the issue.
3. What is the truth of the situation?
Worry is usually a sign that we are neglecting some sort of truth. For example, if you are worried about finances, tell yourself truths about your security. At the end of the day, you will probably not starve to death.
This is especially true for the Christian. God commands us not to worry about anything. Why? Because He is taking care of us. We don’t need to worry about our money. “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26)
Friend, get in the word, and remind yourself of the Ultimate Truth.
Most of the time when we reflect on the object of our worry and acknowledge truth in the situation, we realize we are blowing things out of perspective. It’s like holding a penny in front of your eye. It’s small, but when you hold it close, it takes up all of your attention and blocks the reality of what’s around you.
What about you? What are you worried about? Why are you worried about it? What is the truth of the situation?
Take a breath, my friend.
The world is still spinning.
It won’t be long until we look over our shoulder and “smush” it.
Question: Can you recall a time that you worried about something because it was out of perspective? What made your perspective shift? Share below!
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