How to Get Rid of the Worry Monster

I had it in my hand ready to take to the till. A furry, striped, google-eyed monster with a zip mouth and an empty tummy ready to eat up all the worries. For two whole minutes, I did actually think this was a good idea to buy as a present, the idea being that your child can write down what they’re worried about and then stuff it into the worry monster’s mouth who ‘eats’ it up and makes the worry go away. The multi coloured little chap walked straight into my head and very nearly had me walking out the shop door with him under my arm when, all of a sudden, I paused and said to my shopping buddy of the day i.e. husband,

‘Is this really a good idea? We’re supposed to teach the boys that we take all our worries to God! I think I’m just going to leave this actually.’

‘i thought the same thing when I saw it in the catalogue,’ came the reply.

So I set the worry monster right back where he came from, sitting on a hodge podge pile of Christmas decorations and pet accessories (have you been in Jacksons of Moira? seriously, it’s the hardware equivalent of the old Belfast Faith Mission shop). I may even have heard the furry little gremlin snarl at me as I did so.

Oh how easy it is to fall into the trap of stuffing our worry and anxiety into the wrong place! Who amongst us has not hugged a worry filled monster tightly in the middle of the night?

But here’s what the writer of Psalm 94 says,

‘In the middle of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.’

Psalm 94:19 (NKJV)

There is no denial about having anxiety, he says he has a multitude - relatable!

But it’s God who comforts him, it’s God that he turns to in the middle of all that he is feeling and there’s surely no reason to think that he’s not feeling exactly the same as us - headaches, indigestion, nausea, fear, etc, etc, the list goes on.

We are rescued from the ‘multitude’ by remembering the promises of God.

• That he loves us
• That we are his children
• That he is faithful
• That he will give us everything we need
• That he is always with us
• That he is always at work within us
• That Christ is greater than all our worries and anxieties
• That one day we won’t have to live with worry ever again

And the list goes on.

(and here I would also refer you to chapter six of ‘#Living Without Worry’ by #TimLane which reminds us of these promises and where they can be found in the Bible.)

‘Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the centre of your life.’

Philippians 4 The Message

Dealing with worry means being stuffed with the truth of God about who we are and more importantly about who he is.

So put that worry monster right back where he belongs today and let him snarl all he likes.

xo