Today is Enough. Don’t Worry, God Has Things Under His Control.
Ed, my neighbor next door, is a kindred spirit to me, when it comes to worry. We both are controlling types and worry when things aren’t under our authority. Ed claims that he comes from a long line of worry-warts. I told him that isn’t as impressive as my pedigree, which is coming from a family-line, famous for being both worry-warts and whiners. As next door neighbors, Ed and I agree that worry doesn’t do a lick of good, but we both keep at it. When it comes to worry, the two of us, need to calm down and quit our addiction to anxiety.
It has been jarring, car-rattling, pot holes of worry for Ed lately. First, it was his bum shoulder that needed physical therapy. Then the death of a cousin in Edmonton, very close to his age, unsettled Ed. Now, he has found a big machinery problem. The cost to replace his combine threatens to destroy his bank account for the next decade. The last concern is his biggest worry, because spending big money and shattering his bank account, has Ed facing some stress attacks.
Stress, also known as worry, isn’t simply a problem for Ed and I. Many folks have an unhealthy relationship with worry. We worry regularly, reflecting whatever is stressing us out. Not being able to pay our bills, greatly stresses us and others. Finding ourselves unable to control the past, present and future, can have us sweating. Stress and worry thrive in thoughts of yesterday, with ‘If only it hadn’t happened.’ Stewing about what is done and cannot be undone, results in blame and resentment. We also stress about tomorrow. No one can control tomorrow’s weather or the unknown events that can change our lives. Worry comes with endless flavors. Some of those flavors are; worry about health, worry about relationships with other people, and of course the worry of having more than enough money now and for years to come.
When Jesus was here on earth, he understood that our sinful nature keeps us anxious about our lives, rather than, confident in our loving heavenly Father. Jesus taught plainly, “Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body what you will put on.†Few folks were rich in the time of Jesus, and food and clothing were not overly plentiful. One might think they had reason to worry about having enough food and clothing. Yet, Jesus said don’t worry.
Jesus assured them that, life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. He asked, “Which of you being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do such a small thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?†Jesus reminded the people how God feeds the ravens, which neither sow nor reap, and how much more valuable they are than His ravens. God knows that people need food and clothing, and He will provide them. The problem is that we worry about getting what God has already promised to give us. Worry is not trusting God to give us all that we need, as if, he isn’t able to do so.
