By Jessica Brodie

My daughter sees a counselor on occasion who works with her on taming anxiety. From the start, this counselor has trained her to see these worries in a physical representation: a mean “worry monster” whose purpose is to plant lies in her head and stir up worries and fears.

I know the worry monster by another name: the devil.

Her counselor knows my daughter needs to control her worries, but she often can’t do that until she understands they have no power over her. Identifying the worry as a lie from the worry monster—a trick he’s using to get at her and tear down her defenses—helps. Often, as soon as she recognizes the anxious thought for the kernel of self-doubt that it is, it becomes smaller, more manageable. She can “slay” the proverbial beast because she knows what she’s dealing with.

Sometimes my stresses, worries, fears, and anxieties threaten to knock me down. Their weight is so heavy, and sometimes they build up so fast—or so sneakily—I can’t even understand why I’m worried. I just know I feel unsettled, worried, and stressed out.

Naming the worry helps. If I feel overwhelmed in a crowded, noisy, overheated store, pausing a moment to breathe and realize why I’m feeling that way, e.g. “Oh, it’s because I’m feeling claustrophobic,” helps a great deal.

Name your worry or stress so it has no power over you.

As Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16:23, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

Worrying interferes with an open, authentic relationship and dialogue with God. It interferes with our ability to center ourselves in the Lord, and therefore, it is an evil to be defeated.

Naming it makes it tangible, and when it’s tangible, it can be dealt with—and overcome.

Jesus spoke often about our need to let go of our worries and seek rest in Him.

In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus tells us to let go of our tight grip on anxiety, for God will provide all we need.

In John 4:10 and John 7:37-39, He calls Himself living water, restorative and nourishing and truly all we need.

In John 16:33b, He says, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Are you struggling with your own “worry monster”? Sometimes our fears are strongest in the dark. Shining some light into the problem can help.

Today’s topic, tackling the worry monster, is one of 10 included in the free eBook I created to help people shrug off their worries and center themselves in the Lord. Called A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed, the book is FREE for anyone who signs up for my weekly blog. Learn more and get your copy here.

(If you are already a blog subscriber but haven’t gotten your copy, just email me and I’ll send it to you.)

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