Do Not Worry
February 1, 2010
The most commonly referenced section of the Bible is the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5-7, specifically the Beatitudes at the beginning of chapter 5. You know them, blessed are the meek, blessed are the merciful, blessed are the peacemakers, etc. They are quoted by Christians, non-Christians, Republicans, Democrats, men, women, etc. etc. etc.
What isn’t referenced much, however, is the section found in Matthew 6:25-34. It starts off by saying:
Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
After explaining that the birds are taken care of and the lilies are beautifully dressed, it continues to say:
Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’…seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
It is human nature to worry about tomorrow. We want control of the events that will take place in our lives. We want to know what will happen if we make a certain decision, what will happen if we don’t. Americans may be the most stressed out about the future. We live in a country blessed by resources, wealth, comfort, convenience, etc, yet so many of us are stressed out and depressed about our lives. We worry about what we don’t have. We are anxious about what we can’t have. We are jealous about what others do have. So much of our day is filled worrying about things we have very little control over.
I am no exception. I don’t like these verses. I don’t want to focus on today and be content with what I have now. I want to make sure that what I have today will be enough to carry me through tomorrow and beyond. I want to worry about tomorrow and what I will eat and what I will wear and how much money I have and what will happen to me.
2009 has forced me to cling on to these verses and force myself not to worry. So often, I have had to focus on today and be thankful that we had enough to get us through. One day, we had just enough dimes in our piggy bank to buy enough gas to get us to the store to buy some food. It was sufficient for the day though. The next day took care of itself and we had enough to get us through that day. There were times when we had plenty so that we didn’t need to worry about the next day but those days were few and far between.
This past year has been a great life lesson. My wife and I have had less this past year than any of our other 10 years together. The lack of stuff has caused me to rely on God’s provision more than ever and seek His Kingdom first. I haven’t known often how the next day would be taken care of but it has been and in many different ways. Sufficient needs for the day have carried us for a little over a year now as I continue to get Virtus Designs going. Hopefully the day will come soon where it won’t be a matter of not having enough for the next day, but rather, knowing that whether we have a lot or a little today, there is no need to worry about tomorrow because tomorrow will worry about itself.
Comments
2 Responses to “Do Not Worry”
Got something to say?
That’s such a tough lesson to learn. I didn’t enjoy it when I was going through a time like yours, but looking back I’m glad I went through it. James 1 is right.
Watching from a distance I’ve seen you grow over the past two years or three years. I’ll keep you in my prayers.
I have read James many times during this past year. I have always been more of a Romans guy but James has been very relevant lately. I can’t say that I have enjoyed the past year but it can definitely see the relevance it has had in helping me grow in faith and perseverance.
I have appreciated your insights and support over the past few years.