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Turning Worries Into Challenges

Rev Albert Kang 

While on a mission trip to India, my mission team and I were stuck at the airport in Bangalore. The flight engineers had gone on strike. To add to the problem, our connecting flight in Madras would be leaving without us, if we did not fly immediately. The airport terminal was in pandemonium. There were hundreds of passengers rushing to and fro, trying to get on any available flights. I was thinking that even if the airplanes could fly but without the flight engineers checking on them first, would the flight be safe?

One of my team members, who was a business executive, decided that he would do something about it. Joining the pushing and screaming crowds, he managed to elbow his way to the counter. I overheard him shouting over the din, desperately asking the airport officers to call Madras airport to stop our connecting flight from leaving without us. To my amusement, one of those officers actually made the call on a big black telephone and then told this brother that he had already stopped the flight. Having traveled quite often, I knew that there was no way this officer could do that. However, the lie seemed to pacify my dear brother and he came back to report that he had solved the problem. I smiled and thanked him.

Realizing that no amount of frustrating could break the strike, I found an empty seat and spent more time talking to our host pastor. It was five hours later before we could catch the next flight to Madras. As expected, there was no flight waiting for us there and we had to purchase tickets to board another flight to Singapore.

During the waiting period at Bangalore airport, my host pastor asked why was I not worried. He wanted to learn why was I so calm. The fact was that I did worry but only for a very short time. I have learned to let go of my worries as fast as they come. We Chinese have a saying: “You may not be able to prevent the birds of worry flying above your head but you can prevent them from building a nest in your hair.”

The Present Crisis

In this time of economic crisis, terrorist threats, unstable world situations and uncertain future, many people are becoming worried about their future. On the surface, these things are worrisome but they do not need to become the dominant thought. The Lord said, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things” (Matthew 6:34). This is not to say that we become passive and nonchalant. It means that we should not indulge in excessive worrying. I have learned that forty percent of my worries never happen, thirty percent have already happened, twenty percent are too petty a problem to be concerned with and only ten percent of the worries are real. However even this ten percent should not become paralyzing because like the Swedish proverb states: “Worry gives a small thing a big shadow”.

With this ten percent, I have a very simple guideline: I will not worry about anything that is beyond my control and I will not worry about anything that is within my control. If it is out of my control, then it is certainly useless to worry about it. I might as well use my energy to find another way out or do something useful. If the situation is within my control then why should I worry? I can change it by taking some definite actions.

Life is uncertain at best but there is an assurance that comes from heaven. There is a promise of another life, which is eternal. This life is temporal and all our effort to cling on to this life will be futile. It will come to an end, sooner or later. As you know, I am not advocating passivity or just look for the pie in the sky. I am advocating balance. This means what we should do, we must do and then to trust God to do what He should do. A balanced approach to problems does not only give you less anxiety but makes you creative in finding real solutions.

Excessive Worrying

I believe in actions, finding ways to solve problems and overcome challenges. The thing that I am absolutely against is excessive worrying. The Bible encourages us to be responsible, plan, count our cost and take action but it never says that we should spend fruitless hours in worrying. For example, when a builder is building according to the best architectural plan and with the best materials, he does not need to stay up all night worrying that the building will collapse. After the terrorist attack on 11 September 2001, people are still building high-rise. Yes, it is true that some crazy terrorists might fly an airplane into these high-rise buildings but how often does that happen? Anyway, in Singapore, our air force is on the alert for such attack and so we can sleep easy and not worry. As a nation, we have done the best that we can and the rest we have to leave to the Lord.

Undue worry robs the peace and joy of the Lord from us. It builds up stress in our bodies and ultimately destroys our spiritual, mental, emotional and physical health. Paul the Apostle, who was constantly being pursued by religious enemies, imprisoned by corrupt officials, beaten by angry mobs and ultimately being sentenced to death by Rome, wrote these powerful words: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God”. Is your present situation worse than that of Paul’s? Can you present your petitions and requests to the Lord and leave them there? You sure can because the God who made Paul a great servant is also our God.

The Serenity Prayer

I do not know who wrote the Serenity Prayer but it sums up how I handle my worries: “God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can, and wisdom to know the difference.” There are things that you have to accept because you have no power to change them now. However that does not mean that you cannot change them in the future. The key is timing. When the time comes, you should have the courage to change those things that are within your power to change. The real difficulty is to know when you have or do not have the power to make those changes.

When I was a student in Bible Seminary, there was an unjust situation involving the local school staff that I sought to rectify. I was unwise in handling my complaint. My approach was confrontational and I was impatient for an immediate solution. When it did not come, I presented the school official with a good piece of my mind and almost got kicked out of seminary. I was really in no position to change anything at that point. I should have just filed the complaint and prayed hard. However, thankfully, the Lord intervened by replacing the president of the seminary. The new president took note of my one-man crusade and rectified the injustice. I am not saying that we should not reveal injustice when we are in a subordinate position. What I am saying is that instead of being confrontational, we should do so amiably and allow the responsible parties the time to make the changes.

Know Your Treasures

Do not consider the things of this world as treasures and you will have less anxiety. What you do not treasure, you will not worry. When I was working in Cambodia, I had the opportunity to have lunch with a very successful Cambodian businessman. We choose to meet at a local restaurant that had a large glass window facing the parking lot. My business friend had bought the latest model of Mercedes Benz. I on the other hand, was still driving an old beat-up Japanese car. When I arrived, I noticed that he had chosen to park right in front of the restaurant. Throughout the whole meal, he would be glancing at his car. When he saw some street children walking near his car, he would rise up and walk closer to the window. I could understand his anxiety because Cambodian street children were known to strip the mirrors and any detachable parts off the vehicles and sell them. Since the Mercedes Benz was this man’s treasure, he could not even eat in peace. I had long lost both side mirrors to those street kids and so my Japanese car was no longer my treasure. In place of those expensive car mirrors, I had just duct-taped cheap fifty cents Chinese-made face mirrors that were not worth stealing. I was really enjoying my beef noodles while watching my friend worrying about his Mercedes Benz. You may ask what happened if it was my Mercedes Benz. The fact was that I did own one in Cambodia but sold it. It was not worth my worrying.

Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).

Proper Priorities

Another way to keep your worry and anxiety at bay is to have proper priorities in life. Jesus said that you should seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you (Matthew 6:33). Let me share an illustration to explain what this kingdom of God is all about: When Singapore was under the colonial rule of the British Empire, all our citizens were issued identity cards that identify us to be British subjects. This means that even though we may not live on the British Isle, we were under the reign of the British queen. In the same manner, we do not need to be located in heaven to be in the kingdom of God.

Though heaven is a part of the kingdom of God, Christ was not referring to it in his admonition of Matthew 6:33. Here the kingdom of God is not meant to be a geographically location but a sovereignty. The Greek word for kingdom is “basileia”, which also means, “reign”. Therefore Matthew 6:33 should be read as, “seek first the reign of God and His righteousness”. When you place yourself and your affairs under the sovereign reign of God, you and your possessions belong to Him. That means if anyone wants to rob you, he has to face the wrath of the real owner who is the Lord. Jesus said, “How can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house” (Matthew 12:29).

Who is stronger than the Lord? After knowing this truth, do you still want to claim ownership of anything? Why not hand them all over to the Lord? Make him your Lord and Master. You will never need to get worked up over any problems again. Your problems are the Lord’s problems and if anyone dared to mess with you, he will have to face the Lord.

Cross the Bridge At the Right Time

When we worry, we will be like trying to cross the bridge when it is not really there yet. Imagine, spending the whole night in bed worrying about how to cross the bridge. Worry alone will never get you across the bridge. What worry can do is to drive you crazy, make you do unproductive things and drive your wife or husband up the wall.

When David was anointed to become king, he had to wait ten years to have it fulfilled. There were many opportunities where he could kill King Saul and take the throne. But he was willing and patient enough to wait for the Lord’s timing and did not take things into his own hands. David’s faith is a prime example of learning to seek first the reign of God. Faith is holding on to God’s hand, trusting Him and taking one step at a time.

Psychologist David Burns said that if you were to gather all the food that you would eat in your lifetime, you should have a huge room filled with tons of meat, vegetables, coffee, tea, candies, noodles, rice, and gallons of ice cream etc. Imagine that you were expected to eat them all in one seating. This is impossible. Just the thought of it will make you sick. Worries are just like this roomful of food. You cannot worry about too many worries. The sentence may sound funny but it has profound implication. You just cannot handle them all at one time or else you will end up in the mental asylum.

I have always remembered the ridiculous question that a professor asked our class: “How do you eat an elephant?” I have never wanted to eat an elephant but since he asked, I had to think. Some students suggested roasting it, others frying, and yet others, boiling it. After all of us had exhausted our crazy ideas, the professor said, “bite size”. You can eat a whole elephant if you take one bite at a time. You can overcome challenges and problems without worrying, if you take one bite at a time. When the time comes for that bite, you take it. Separate the challenges into little pieces and you will find that they are manageable. Once again, let us recall the words of Jesus and live one day at a time: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34).

Turning Worries Into Challenges

Recently, a Russian submarine sank in the Barents Sea. All the water of the Barents Sea would not be able to sink the submarine if the water never got inside. The conning tower was left open while the submarine was being towed. A storm hit and the submarine broke loose from its pontoon support. The open conning tower allowed water to rush rapidly inside the submarine and so it sank.

In the same way, worry can destroy you if you allow it to get inside and stay inside. Doctors have said that excessive worry produces stress and anxiety. These in turn cause you to have ulcers and all kinds of diseases. Worry also ages you rapidly and makes you look haggard and old. It has been researched that people who have excessive worries are prone to heart attacks. Now you know that worry is bad for you, then how are you going to overcome it?

The way to overcome your worries is to turn them into challenges. You can find solution to a challenge but never to a worry. Challenges do not go away when we just worry about them. They go away when we take the necessary actions. Worry is stifling while challenge is, shall we say, challenging! Worry makes you focus on the problems instead of the solutions. Challenge makes you creative so that you can find a way out. Worry is in the domain of fear while challenge is in the domain of fight. Fear paralyses the mind but fight energizes it. Fear retreats while fight progresses. Fear flees while fight overcomes.

Overcoming Challenges

God has given us potential abilities to solve problems and overcome challenges. Have you noticed how every solution of life’s challenge can be found? It is just a matter of time.

When Singapore was hit with SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) epidemic, we were worried. This was a new strain of virus and there was no vaccine or cure. Doctors and nurses were dying and the whole population was very afraid. However, that was short-lived because the Singapore government took a strong lead and turned the worries into challenges. And from challenges into solutions. With great efficiency and effectiveness, they introduced safety measures to prevent the spread of this virus. Then the scientists took definite steps to find ways and got rid of the virus completely. The Singapore’s tough and rapid response to this crisis earned commendations from the World Health Organization.

Living An Overcoming Life

Finally, let me conclude this article with a courage story that I have read in a recent newspaper. Mrs. Jane Tomlinson, a 39-year-old mother of three was diagnosed with terminal bone cancer three years ago. Her doctors gave her just a few months to live. She was in despair but she quickly turned that into a challenge. She took up athletic training for the first time, so that she could compete and raise money to help other cancer patients.

On 31 August 2003, she beat many tougher athletes to complete the Gatorade Half Iron Man UK Triathlon in six hours and 37 minutes. She was 20 minutes ahead of her own target time. She had to do a 1,500m swim, 40 km cycle ride and a 10 km run. She said that her back was very sore and she had sharp pain in her legs, knees, hip, pelvis and shoulder as she swarm, cycled and ran to the finishing line.

Since her diagnosis, she has completed the London Marathon and the London Triathlon and cycled more than 1,600km across Britain. Her daughter, Suzanne said: “Mum didn’t want to stay home, feeling sad for herself. She set amazing new challenges for herself and we are all proud of her.”

Like Mrs. Tomlinson, we should learn to live an overcoming life. There will always be challenges in life. We may never be able to change them but we can control how we response to them. My friend, Dr. David Carroll coined the acronym, “M.I.O.” – “Misery Is Optional”. We can choose to be miserable or to be joyful in the face of challenges. It is a matter of choice.

Mrs. Tomlinson said after the race, “I have good days and I have bad days, with much pain. Today was a very, very good day, even though there was a lot of pain.” This woman who was to die three years ago, has raised £337,000 (S$934,000) for charity. She said, “I have lost a lot of time to my illness, but I am determined to live the rest of my life to the full.”

Let us live our lives to the fullest and serve the Lord with joy. Like Paul, we have to leave our worries behind and press toward the goal that God has set before us: “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

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