A Remedy for Worry

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” is not just in reference to money. It’s actually a great key to emotional/ psychological health as well. It seems that the more our society becomes more focused on the individual, the more psychological problems we encounter. If we apply the biblical principle for giving to our emotional/mental resources as well, we find one of the many remedies God has given us for worry, thus building a stable mind and soul.

Here’s how things typically play out – we all have our own problems right? More often than not, our problems are compounded when we spend unhealthy – and unnecessary – amounts of time worrying about them. In fact, we can create more problems through an overactive imagination. We imagine things are happening or are going to happen based on fear and worry – and not on fact. That’s how psychological disorders develop.

Here’s where the scripture, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35) comes in. See, when we’re going through issues, it is really nice when someone comes along and encourages us and gives us a good word – isn’t it? But what’s even better is spending time, listening to other people’s problems. Here’s why:

1. Listening to someone else’s worries means you’re not listening to your own. This gives your mind and emotions a break from the strain of worry.

2. When we try to help other people think through things, we tend to be more objective, fact-centered, and aware of God’s promises than when we focus on our own problems. This type of rational thinking is the very thing we need to address our own problems with, but have a hard time doing. So, when we help other people with a rational mind we often gain insight into our own issues and can finally start addressing them with the rational mind that we ought to.

3. In all of this you’ve helped someone else in their troubles. You’ve been a source of comfort to someone and have completed the call to “Bear one another’s burdens.” (Galatians 6:2).

This is why it is more blessed to give than to receive even in matters of emotion. When you receive you alone are blessed, but when you give you are a blessing to someone else and that, in turn, blesses you. Therefore, there is a double blessing in giving, hence – “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”