Hello y’all, it’s Glori from The Elephant Under The Bridge! Last time you got one of my articles, it was an humorous short story.
We’re being serious today, and I’m talking to you, ladies (and myself, of course, because I’ve noticed this in myself a lot over the past few weeks, and I’m sure my fellow publication members have noticed it…), because this is our little problem.
Here’s the problem.
Overthinking.
We girls are known for overthinking things.
One of my close friends has a water bottle sticker similar to the one below.
“Oh,” you’re thinking right now, “Overthinking is just that cute thing girls do, they really can’t help it.”
WRONG.
Now, stopping and thinking things through is wisdom—but only to a certain extent.
At that point, it stops being just thinking.
It descends into worry and anxiety.
We don’t talk about it a lot, but worry is a sin—one we’re specifically commanded against.
"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." —Philippians 4:6-7
If something is heavy on our minds, we’re not supposed to leave it there. We’re supposed to take it to God… to lay it up in prayer to Him and thus our burdens shall be eased.
Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. —Psalm 55:22
Worrying is a burden. It stoops our shoulders, grays our hairs, shadows our under-eyes.
That’s a problem, because worry is an unnecessary burden.
You don’t have to worry! You don’t have to overthink everything!
It makes life so much simpler.
Don’t overthink that “hi” text. That’s all it is. Just a simple “hi.”
Don’t overthink that outfit you need to pick out for that event. Honestly. As long as you’re conforming to the dress code, no one cares what you wear.
Don’t overthink that look you got from across the room—if you must know, just work up the nerve to ask. It’s better for you in the end anyway.
Don’t overthink those textbooks you need to get for school. Just order them.1
Don’t worry about your friends going on a roadtrip. Pray for them, yes. But worrying won’t do anything.
Don’t worry about your grades. Pray. Work the hardest you can. That’s all you can do. Worrying won’t do anything.
Worry and fear are inseparably entwined, unfortunately, and what we need to shake worry off our shoulders is courage.
The courage to text back or call back.
The courage to ask what that look meant.
The courage to buy those textbooks.
The courage to pray.
The courage to work your hardest and leave the results to God.
The courage to just get off your butt and do that stuff you were worrying about.
It might not look like courage to anyone else, but it’s the small, little things like this, ladies, that helps give us what we need to be an adult, a future wife, a future mother, an example to our children.
Because if we don’t do it ourselves, our children certainly won’t learn it from us.
So quit overthinking. Most of it is really worrying, which is a sin, and weighs on your soul.
You’ll feel much better, trust me.
And yes, there are ways to help.
Pray. Confess your worry to God, ask for forgiveness. He is merciful.
Then, go for a walk. Let yourself smile. Shake the cares off your shoulders.
You thought you were drowning twenty feet under.
Turns out that water you were drowning in is only three feet deep.
And there’s a Hand reaching down and pulling you out.
God is good.
The true inspiration for this article
This is something I tend to struggle with quite a lot, so thank you for writing this article.
This was so encouraging to read, Gloria! Thank you so much for writing this. 🥰