Worry happens so instantaneously that we believe we were born with worry wired into our brains. Were we born to be natural worriers or is worry something that we learn as we grow older?
Science is divided between two schools; one believes worry is a feeling naturally produced by the human brain, and the other believes we learn to worry as we grow older. While we may not know for sure if we have been born with a 'worry gene,' one thing is for sure: God did not originally design us to worry.
Matthew 6:25 tells us, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?" (ESV). Why is worry something God is clearly against? Understanding God's attitude towards worry can be traced all the way back to the original garden of Eden.
Looking at Adam and Eve, we're likely to think that they both struggled with worry. When the serpent started telling them lies about how the tree of knowledge of good and evil could make them like God, the two must have been thinking of a lot of 'what ifs' at that moment. What if God really isn't enough? What if I need to play God sometimes? What if God won't give me what I want?
When anxiety takes control of my mind, I have to admit that it can sometimes drive me to start trusting in my own strength, my own knowledge and my own ability instead of trusting in God. It may not sound like it off the bat, but once you get a good grasp of the thought, the idea of not trusting God doesn't really sound natural does it?
When we know that God is all powerful and that He is sovereign and the Bible tells us that He makes all things work together for our good (Romans 8:28) and that we are limited and finite in our capacity, the natural thing to do would be to trust God instead of our own efforts. But the fact is that many times we are manipulated into trusting in ourselves instead of God. Ultimately, there is nothing more unnatural than that.
We may or may not have a worry gene or worry hormone, but that in no way means that it is natural. The most natural and organic result of the truth will lead us to complete trust and commitment to Jesus Christ, who answers every need there is. Naturally, Jesus will be our choice, not worry.
