Have you
ever worried about something in your life? Silly
question? Ok then, I take it back. Let's cut down on time. Have been worried
about some things in the past week? Sure?
What about this moment? Are you presently worried about something(s)? Most probably? I have comforting news
for you! You are not alone! Most adults on earth – and that includes your
spouse, pastor, and parents – have something they are worried about at this
moment. Those that do not have something to worry about are probably worried
that they are not worried!
Worry
runs deep in human beings because simply being alive – waking up in the
morning, breathing, moving around, going to work, working, eating, returning
from work, going to the movies, etc., – provide ample opportunities to worry
ourselves to death (Death: a state we get
to that we no longer worry, nor can we even if we chose to.)
As far as
I know, we are the only life form that can worry. We worry about what people
think of us and what they do not think of us. We worry about losing weight and
worry about adding weight. We worry about being poor and sickly and worry about
being loveless billionaires. We worry about not being married and when
eventually get married, we worry about whether we married right. You get the
point. And so did Jesus.
He once
led an interesting discourse on the workings of worry and in his classic away
of letting the cat out of the bag right from the beginning, he said to his
audience: “Do not worry about
your life,…” Now let us pause here so I can share the thoughts that swivel
around my brain whenever I read those words:
Did he just say I should not worry about life? If I do not
worry about life – what I eat or drink, what quality of schools my children go
to, what type (not to mention model and year) of car I drive, what kinds of
clothes my exceptionally beautiful wife wears, what then do I worry about? I
mean, give me something – anything – to worry about because as a human being I must
worry; right?
Not according to Jesus.
Jesus made it rather obvious that life should not
be buggered down by the many opportunities to worry. He asks two legendary
questions, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry
about the rest?” I think we will all agree that even if there were a life
lengthening formula, worrying won’t be part of it. What amazes me is that he
calls life lengthening “little”. In other words, there is nothing to it. It’s a
simple thing that can be done… only, not by us.
Since then we cannot do even the “little” thing
then we need not worry about other things. It is not our duty to worry about
our needs. Our duty is to do right to everyone, to be at peace with God,
ourselves and our neighbors, and to seek an overflow of joy from our hearts. God’s
duty is to do the “little” things and one of those is locating where those
things we should have been worried about are and leading us to them… just as he
does to the birds of the sky.
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