Worry Is Wrong

Chuckle: "To keep your marriage brimming with love in the loving cup, Whenever you're wrong, admit it. Whenever you are right, shut up." --Ogden Nash

Good Quote: “Blessed is the person who is too busy to worry in the daytime and too sleepy to worry at night.” –Unknown source

TO WORRY IS WRONG

   "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear" (Matthew 6:25 NIV). "Seek first his (God's) kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:33-34 NIV). "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (Matthew 6:27 NIV).

From his discourse to his followers in the "Sermon on the Mount," Jesus gives us instructions in the practical aspects of Christian living.  He deals with a subject here that is very real to many of us, worry.  I must admit I've done some major league worrying myself at times.  Some worry about everything as if their worrying will somehow make the dreaded situation more pleasant and acceptable.  In reality, worrying about something will not change it one iota. "Worry is like a rocking chair; it will give you something to do, but it won't get you anywhere."

Jesus is well aware of the human tendency to worry and chose to address it in a direct and straight forward way.  He says, "Do not worry." He says we are to focus our attention on Him, His kingdom, and His righteousness; then He will provide to us all the needs (not wants) of life.  If you are worrying, you are trusting in yourself rather than God.  Most of the time, worrying comes from a feeling of inadequacy and our inability to control a situation or solve problems in our lives rather than trusting them to God.  When you worry, you are placing all the pressure of the future upon yourself.

It is not only useless to worry, it is an act of infidelity toward God.  When He tells us not to worry but we do it anyway, we are being disobedient and untrusting.  We are saying to God, "I don't believe your promise to look after the practical needs of my life, so I must do it myself."  That's an arrogant attitude toward God, don't you think?

God says the cares of this world will choke His words out of us.  Usually, it is the little cares and worries that make us so uncomfortable.  Most of the things we worry about either don't materialize or are not nearly as bad as we imagined.  If we are worrying, we are not trusting God to deal with the future we cannot see.  The only cure for this lack of trust is obedience to His words. "Now faith (trust) is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see . . . Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:1, 6 NIV).

The operative concept here is to abandon yourself into God's hands and trust him completely.  But, does this mean we just sit on our hands and do nothing while trusting God to take care of us and grant each little desire of our hearts?  Of course not.  He gave us our minds and abilities and we are to use them, for his glory, in providing for our families and ourselves.  However, while we are doing our best with talents God has given us, we should not worry.  We trust the outcome to God.  This allows us to live in peace and contentment rather than anxiety and worry.

Love, Jerry & Dotse