First Discourse in Matthew: Worry

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today. ~ Matthew 6:25-34


 “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” ~ Corrie Ten Boom
There's a lot of repetition between the Gospel's on Jesus' teachings. So it didn't surprise me that "worry" popped up so soon after I remember writing about it not long ago when we  were in the year of Luke.

 I thought, "Well I'll just find something new to say about it." So I went about looking for a good quote that could help guide my thoughts on Jesus' words here, and was immediately attracted to this quote by Corrie Ten Boom.

 Apparently I was also drawn to it when I wrote about worry back in August.

 In the book of Ecclesiastes we learned that there is nothing new under the sun, so apparently with worry, there is nothing new to learn - at least from me! :-)

 I mean, we know worry isn't good for us, don't we?

 We also know that it can be really hard to shake - especially for those who struggle with the very real diagnosis of anxiety.

 It keeps our focus on an unseen future rather than the present: a future that may not end up looking like anything that we imagine in our darkest moments.

 And that worry of the future can zap the energy we need in the present.

 The writers of the gospels didn't know about the composition of the mind and the realities that cause anxiety. If they did, maybe Jesus' words here would be a bit different.

 Or maybe they wouldn't.

 Maybe, even with all the intricacies of our brain chemistry, the knowledge that we have one who walks with us and bears our worries can give us some relief: some hope for that future that might otherwise seem fearsome.
Meditation: Sit quietly knowing that God is present with you, holding onto you securely no matter what.

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