Why Make Yourself Sick?

By Kay Heitsch

For years I stressed and worried about things. If a worrying thought came to my mind, I rolled it over and over. Then, finally, when I thought I had it figured out, for a brief moment, I had some relief, but it wasn't long before something else would come up.

What did this get me? It filled me with stress and actually made me sick. I had indigestion, neck aches, severe pains in my stomach, and the list goes on.

I didn't want to be like this, but I didn't know how to change. I didn't realize my trouble was coming from my thoughts.

It was a great day when I started to read Dr. Peale's books. In one of his books, he said to buy a Bible and highlight everything that caught your attention. I didn't have a Bible, so I bought the cheapest one. It was a paperback Good News Bible. I liked the title, thinking it must be different than the scary Holy Bible. I needed some Good News!

Well, wouldn't you know, verses about worry caught my attention. So I started to highlight every verse I saw. It was life-changing what began to happen. My thinking began to change! I was starting to feel less stressed, and my physical issues began to clear up.

If a worrying thought started to torment my mind, I'd ask myself, "Why make yourself sick?" Then, I replaced the worried thought with a Bible verse, "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." 1 Peter 5:7.

Our worried thoughts can mess with our minds and make us sick. It's wonderful to know we can give all of our worries and cares to God because He cares for us.