I heard a story recently about a little boy who was afraid of gorillas.

In his fear, the little boy convinced himself that a gorilla lived underneath his bed… and that the gorilla would eat him when he slept! So night after night, the little boy slept with his blankets over his head, believing that if the gorilla couldn’t see him, he wouldn’t eat him.

And even though that little boy would get very hot and sweaty while under his covers, he continued to sleep that way night after night. He just knew that keeping those covers over his head would keep the gorilla from eating him while he was sleeping!

Of course this little boy grew up and got over his fear of gorillas. But when you think about it, don’t you and I act exactly like this little boy when we decide to worry? Because the fact is, we usually worry about things that really aren’t there!

In our own fear and lack of faith, we irrationally anticipate the worst. And as a result, we start to sweat and panic — all because of something that never really ends up coming to pass!

In the book of Proverbs, Solomon likens worry and anxiety to a weight… a weight that “weighs a man down” (12:25). And I would like you to take some time to think about what “gorillas” in your life are weighing you down.

You know, as a father, grandfather, and now great-grandfather, I can tell you — there’s plenty in life to worry about. But you know what? As believers, Scripture doesn’t give us the option to worry. Nowhere in the Bible does it give us permission to fret.

In fact, Jesus asks us in Luke 12:25-26, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”