Anxiety has a variety of root causes, one of which is worrying about possible future events. You might find it interesting to note that well-known lecturer, Dr. Walter Cavert, did a classic behavior research study on this topic. He found that 85% of what people worry about does not occur.
A Penn State University study tracking individuals with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) found that 91.4% of future worries were completely false alarms.
For the remaining 9% to 15% of future events that did happen, studies show that over 79% of people found they handled the outcome much better than expected or learned a valuable lesson.
Jesus offers valuable wisdom regarding worry about the future:
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” ~ Matthew 6:25-34
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