I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food and the body more important than clothes? –Matthew 6:25
Did you know that some psychologists claim that 85 percent of what we worry about will never happen to us? They say there is absolutely nothing we can do about 10 percent of our worries, and that only the other 5 percent of our worries are legitimate. When you take a look at your worries in the light of these statistics, wouldn’t you agree that most of your worrying is useless? I do believe this although worry has been a struggle most of my life.
Cutting to the chase, an older Christian minister asked me years ago what I was dealing with and I answered, “Worry.” He very simply told me that, “Worry is sin.” Wow. It was true. I just had not thought of worry like that very much.
Worry is the opposite of trust and as a Christian we are called to put our trust in God’s direction for our life.
The decision to trust God or to carry the worries of the world ourselves is up to us. Either road we decide to take requires an action decision on our part. One road leads to greater peace, the other road leads to frustration and anxiety. Choose the road called trust!
I’m not saying this will be easy. I don’t think it will be. I figure that if I am trying not to worry and going over the same scripture for two hours while I am trying to fall asleep, two hours of getting the scripture in me is better than focusing on the worry.
I’ll end with one of the greatest pieces of advice ever given to humankind from the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus said:
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:25-33)
Blessings,
Thora
Thanks for this reminder, Thora. Why is it – even as strong followers of Christ, that in spite of our solid beliefs, worry somehow still comes almost quite naturally to us? It’s like an emotional motor skill that we must work hard to unlearn and retrain. Just when we think we have worry mastered and under control – the enemy (or life or the universe) throws us an unexpected curve ball -like a global pandemic. Much to fear and worry about during this time if we take our eyes off of Jesus!
Beautifully said. Thank you Thora.
Thank you Thora. I love that scripture and especially right now in AZ the birds are singing so happily seemingly without a care in the world! That we would remember how much He loves us and He will take care of us!
We so easily accept worry as natural I know for me it was a generational way for women in my family. We do have a choice.