WORRY VS CONCERN

Today is Election Day. It's none of my business HOW you voted, but I hope you exercised your right of freedom and did vote!

For many years I've threatened to write a collection of devotional thoughts called "The Great Debate." (I'll come back to my series on "Pet Peeves" later on!) Years ago, whenever election time rolled around, our local newspaper would host a series called "The Great Debate" where candidates for various offices would express their opinions on subjects of interest. That's what sparked the idea in my mind of doing a devotional "Debate." I have stacks and stacks of subject ideas! A remark that someone made in the Sunday School class day before yesterday gave me the idea for today's topic: Worry vs Concern.

Someone in the class requested prayer for a family member and said that although they knew Christians were not to worry, the situation was the focus of her thoughts these days. Another member put her "two cents worth" in and reminded us that there's a difference between worry and concern. As Christians, we are not to worry according to I Peter 5:7: "Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you." And who of us has not heard the little chorus that says, "It's a sin to worry, it's a sin to doubt, it's a sin to grumble, it's a sin to pout!" And no doubt all of us have experienced the fact that to follow that advice is easier said than done!

What's the difference between worrry and concern, I wondered. So I turned to the dictionary for an answer. Worry, according to one definition, means to disturb the peace of mind of, to afflict with mental agitation or distress; to cause anxiety in a persistent way; to be troubled or uneasy. The ancestor of the word "worry" meant to "strangle." (Isn't that a good definition of the effect of worry in our lives!) A later meaning included "to grasp by the throat with the teeth and lacerate," or "to kill or injure by biting and shaking." What a graphic picture of "worry" those definitions present! That's a far cry from Isaiah 26:3 -- "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee."

"Concern," on the other hand, refers to a feeling of sympathy for someone or something, solicitousness, softheartedness, tenderness, sympathy. Those are all attributes displayed by our Lord and Savior, Jesus, the Christ. It also refers to sharing the feelings of others, especially feelings of sorrow or anguish.

The chorus I mentioned above, if I remember correctly, ends with "Why worry, worry, worry, worry when you can pray?"

So the next time you are sympathetic toward someone or some condition you can't control, remember it's OK to be concerned. Lift that person or concern to God in prayer. Don't forget about the need. Continue to share your interest in and love toward them. Remember there's a difference between worry and concern, and don't condemn yourself for worrying when you're genuinely concerned.

Preacher's Kid