Proverbs 12:25 — Infinite Possibilities

Anxiety weighs down the heart,
    but a kind word cheers it up.

Summary: Are you taking pills for anxiety? God’s Word tells us that there is a better answer. 

Today’s proverb is the story of my life writ short. As a creative type, I have a brain that likes to overthink things. Anxiety is something that thrives in a creative environment. I finally figured out that there are an infinite number of things to worry about in life.

Think about that for a minute.

Your mind can imagine almost anything. Because we have minds that see both “good and evil” (Gen 3:5) we can see both good and evil possibilities. Unfortunately, when Adam and Eve committed humanity to see both good and evil, they forgot to ask for the optional “being able to tell the difference” feature. That means we can “see” things but not “know” if they are good or evil.

Now, before you start ranting at me about how nutty I am (I’m not saying I would disagree with you!) allow me to point out that there are two kinds of “good and evil.” One kind is where you or I decide for ourselves which is which. The other is where God decides.

The one that counts is God’s definition of good and evil. Our human definitions are nice, but they don’t count for anything when we pass from this life into the next. What God thinks is important is more important than what we think is important.

This question of who’s values are more important is key to understanding the Bible’s message for us. In the days of Noah, the entire world, except for Noah and his family, was judged to be “corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence” (Gen 6:11).

If you could ask the people of Noah’s time if what they were doing was corrupt, they would have laughed at you. They were doing what seemed good to them. It just didn’t seem good to God.

When we choose to be anxious about something, we are “choosing” to believe that something bad is going to happen. We look out over the infinite range of possibilities and we focus on the scariest ones.

Let me say that again: For any given event, there are an infinite number of possible outcomes.

There is no way we can know what will happen. God knows because he is looking into history instead of existing in a moment of time as we do (Psalm 90:4). Instead, Jesus tells us, “… do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself” (Matthew 6:34).

Solomon tells us that “worry (another word for anxiety) weighs down the heart.” Part of the cure for worry is a “kind word.” What does a “kind word” do?

Kindness changes our focus from the infinite realm of bad possibilities to a very real positive event: the kind word. When you share a kind word with someone, you are sharing God’s love with them. When you encourage people, you shine God’s light on “good” possible outcomes.

The world says, “Cheer up, it could be worse.” God says (in effect) “Cheer up, it will get better.” (Matt 6:33)

Application: Next time you are confronted with a worrisome situation, consciously focus on the infinity of possible good outcomes, then see how you feel.

Food for Thought: What are your favorite ways of cheering people up?