How to Combat Worry with Truth by Emily Babbitt
The lights were on. The cars were in the driveway. And the side door was ajar.
I killed my engine. It looked like all of my roommates were home — a white convertible, a sporty crossover, and a green import were all layered into their parking spaces.
I stepped inside, pulled the door shut behind me, and dropped my backpack into one of the dining chairs.
“Hello?”
No answer.
The silence in the house started to feel overwhelming. Where are they? Blood rushed to my head, filling my ears with a distracting buzz. My heart, beating quickly, overpowered the buzz with a deafening thump.
I texted Elena and waited a few minutes. No response.
They’re in the basement. That’s why the door was shut. Someone has them in the basement.
I stumbled up the steep staircase and locked myself in my bedroom before calling my fiance, Josiah.
“I think there’s someone in my house.” I backed into the furthest corner of my room.
“Why, what’s going on?” His tone stiffened.
“All of the cars are in the driveway, but there’s nobody here. And the side door was open when I got home.”
He told me that he would be over soon. During the 10 minutes it took for him to get to me, I heard every creak the house made. Built in the early 1900s, it had a lot to say, especially on windy nights. But I was listening for something else. Footsteps. Voices. Cries for help.
Even though I was expecting him, I jumped a little bit when Josiah’s boots clunked up my staircase. He knocked gently.
“Emma, it’s me,” he said. “Can you let me in?”
I crawled over to my door and unlocked it for him. He stepped inside and pulled me into a hug.
“It’s okay,” he said as he held me. “I can take a look around for you.”
Like a father searching for monsters, he started by looking in my closets—two attic spaces in the eaves of my room—and then Elena’s room. Nothing.
He looked in the shower and then went downstairs, ducking into all of the closets and jiggling the locks on all the doors and windows. Everything was empty and locked and safe.
The last place he needed to check was the basement, the home's dark, damp underbelly. I stood at the top of the stairs, clinging to the door frame as he carefully maneuvered himself into the darkness where I was sure my roommates were strung up by their toes.
. . .
My anxiety was at an all-time high during my senior year of college. To help alleviate some of my anxiety, I sought Christian counseling. My counselor pushed me toward scripture and used a technique called cognitive behavioral therapy to help me rewire my brain to trust in God when worry strikes.
My healing process wasn’t as simple as reading a few verses before bed or praying when I felt anxious. It was a repetitive and painful process that started with identifying my worrisome thoughts and recognizing that they were not part of God’s will for my life. Consider the following verses.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6
Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
God commands us not to be anxious, frightened, or dismayed about anything. Rather, he encourages us to be strong and courageous because He is with us wherever we go.
Once I identified my worrisome thoughts and recognized that they were not part of God’s will for my life, I started learning how to combat those thoughts. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians to “take every thought captive to obey Christ,” meaning that we do have some control, with the help of the Holy Spirit, of our thoughts.
Psalm 55:16–18
But I call to God, and the Lord will save me. Evening and morning and at noon, I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice. He redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:1-7
When we “call to God” through prayer, he hears us and will save us from whatever we’re facing. It may not be immediate or in the way that we expect, but God will follow through on his promises.
We don’t need to fear evil of any kind, whether it is anxious thoughts or physical threats. There is no evil in this world that God hasn’t already encountered; he will always be with us through difficult times, whether they are emotionally, physically, or spiritually difficult.
. . .
Because I’d given into worry so many times before, I allowed my mind to fabricate a story about my roommates being held hostage. This story became so real to me that I barricaded myself in my bedroom.
Rewiring my brain to default to faith over worry has not been easy, and I still find myself giving into worry sometimes. But I know that I can defeat worry and decrease anxiety by knowing God’s truths and affirming them to myself when worrisome thoughts arise.
Emily Babbitt is a passionate writer with experience in journalism, content writing, and copywriting. She works full-time as a promotional writer for Liberty University Marketing and part-time as the digital marketing manager for Emerson Creek Pottery. Passionate about Christian writing, Emily serves on the planning team for Write2Ignite, a nonprofit dedicated to coaching Christian children’s and young adult writers.
When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband, taking photos, cooking, and drinking small-batch coffee. You can learn more about her work by connecting with her on LinkedIn.