ANXIETY

A number of Hebrew words convey the sense of anxiety or worry. One of these (tsa·rar′) means to be confined in a physical sense and is thus rendered ‘wrap up,’ ‘shut up,’ and ‘be cramped.’ (Ex 12:34; Pr 26:8; Isa 49:19) In a figurative sense it means “grow anxious; be in sore straits.” (Ge 32:7; 1Sa 28:15) Another is da·’agh′, rendered “become anxious; become frightened”; it is related to de’a·ghah′, meaning “anxious care.” (1Sa 9:5; Isa 57:11; Pr 12:25) The Greek noun me′ri·mna is rendered “anxiety,” while the related verb me·ri·mna′o means “be anxious.”—Mt 13:22; Lu 12:22.

Anxiety can be damaging to one’s well-being. It can lead to depression, robbing one of strength and the initiative to act. Says the inspired proverb: “Anxious care in the heart of a man is what will cause it to bow down.” (Pr 12:25) There can be serious physical manifestations from worry. Observes the book How to Master Your Nerves: “Doctors know how anxiety can affect the body’s functions. It can raise (or lower) blood pressure; it can elevate the white blood cell count; it can suddenly affect the blood sugar by the action of adrenalin on the liver. It can even change your electrocardiogram. Dr. Charles Mayo said: ‘Worry affects the circulation, the heart, the glands, the whole nervous system.’”—By Drs. P. Steincrohn and D. LaFia, 1970, p. 14.

Far more serious is the spiritual harm to which undue anxiety may lead. Jesus Christ indicated that appreciation for “the word of God” can be completely choked out by worry over the problems that are often part of life in the present system of things. Just as thorns can stop seedlings from reaching maturity and bearing fruit, so such anxiety can prevent spiritual development and the bearing of fruitage to God’s praise. (Mt 13:22; Mr 4:18, 19; Lu 8:7, 11, 14) Because of having permitted these worries to dominate their lives, to the exclusion of spiritual interests, many will find themselves in a disapproved state before the Son of God upon his return in glory, to their everlasting loss.—Lu 21:34-36.