Perspectives on Worry (Part 2)
We saw yesterday that we can be too full of care about possessions, the future, clothes and food.Jesus uses some beautiful images and powerful arguments to remind us that we can "trust an unknown future to a known God" (This is one of Corrie Ten Boom's favourite sayings - Corrie and her family hid Jewish refugees from the Nazis and she was eventually captured and thrown into a Nazi concentration camp. There in the camp she lived by faith day by day, keeping her faith and love even through the horrors of her situation):
- Life is more important than its fuel and a body is more important than the clothes we hang on it. So often we get this sequence wrong, we put food and clothes before the gift of life and body. The former (food and clothes) are functional, whereas the latter are a Gift. We can make and earn food and clothes, but we can't make or earn life or a body.
- The birds of the air live day to day - they're not lazy - they 'forage' for each day's food, but they don't stress about the distant future and yet they are provided for by our Father who feeds them daily.
- As much as we stress about things, we aren't actually in control. We can't even extend our lives by an hour.
- Flowers and grass are given a beauty that far surpasses our best efforts and yet these are temporary whereas we are known and loved by God.
- Pagans (those who don't believe in or know God) run after the cares of the earth whereas we can be confident in the goodness of our heavenly Father who knows best what we need. When we marinate in "merimnate" (Worry/Anxiety/Stress) we're behaving like those who have no God to believe in. Martin Luther who we recognise as one of the giants of the Reformation, although positive by nature, could be prone to dark bouts of depression and worry. On one occasion even a holiday and retreat couldn't shift the darkness. His wife, Katherine, took matters into her own hands... Martin walked into the lounge to find Katherine and all the children dressed in black looking very mournful. When he asked who had died she answered: "Have you not heard that God is dead? My husband, Martin Luther, would never be in such a state of mind if he had a living God to trust in." It is said that Martin burst out laughing and his depression lifted.
- People talk about a hierarchy of needs (Maslow talked about a pyramid starting at the bottom with the basic needs of hunger, thirst and shelter moving upward to more esoteric needs.) But there also needs to be an inverted pyramid of priority. The tip on which this pyramid stands is the will and purpose of God for our lives. From this all else will flow.
- Life should be taken one day at a time. This doesn't mean that we mustn't plan, but we are being invited to live in today and plan for tomorrow, instead of dreading tomorrow and missing today.
Read our passage for today to identify these images and arguments. Which of them impact your most?
| "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? 26 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? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. 30 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? 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew6:25-34) |
