Our Worrisome Foe
What advice would your deathbed self give to your current self? This seems an odd question, but its answers are quite illuminating. Consider this: would your dying self proclaim, “I wish I worried more. Having lived a full life, I recognize the immense value in constantly fretting over things big and small. In fact, worrying was some of my life’s greatest moments.”? That seems unlikely. The exact opposite seems more likely. At life’s penultimate moments, I suspect even greater clarity on the worthlessness of worrying. Our future self will surely offer this sage advice: Stop worrying. Ah … simple in saying, impossible in living.
In Matthew 6, Jesus advises us, 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 than food, and the body more than clothes? (v.25). The list of “don’t worries” is exhaustive: life, food, water, body, and clothing – just the essentials for living. Without food, water, health, and protection, we would discover our wizen dying self sooner than we ought. Yet, despite our absolute need for these things, Jesus instructs us to “not worry.”
The passage offers two illustrations to help us reshape our mentality: birds and wildflowers. First, birds do not store food in barns, yet God provides for them. And as Jesus explains, “Are you not more valuable than they?” (v.26). Birds serve as poignant example of God’s provision. Their lightweight bodies cause frequently need food. And if God provides daily for them, will not God provide daily for us? The second example is wildflowers. The flowers’ beauty exceeds even the extravagance of King Solomon’s wonders, and yet, the flowers do not labor or spin (v.28). If God adorns grass with such splendor, how much more will God care for his people? As we encounter worry, these visible illustrations provide a reminder: do not worry. Next time you see a bird perched on a tree limb, remind yourself of God’s promise of provision for your life. And this May, as you begin to see untended flowers blossom, reminder yourself of God’s provision for your life.
When battling our worries, Jesus also offers advice: redirect our forces from self-concern and instead pivot toward another object: Seek first [God’s] kingdom and [God’s] righteousness (v.33). This new objective shifts our focus from inward to outward, from self-serving to God-serving. The antidote for worry, then, is relocating our focal of concern. The more energy we spend fretting over ourselves, the more that energy festers into toxic worry. Conversely, the more energy we spend serving God’s kingdom, the less energy we have for our festering fretting.
The passage then offers keen advice for living: Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (v.34). Ain’ that the truth! Live for day. Jesus’ directive to not worry about tomorrow speaks to the human tendency: We spend far too much thought, effort, and time on things we cannot change.
Well, after reading the passage, are our worrying problems solved? Uh … no. But we can strive to actualize Jesus’ instruction: Seek the kingdom. Live for today. As such, we cannot defeat worry, but we can replace it. Worry, though, is a resilient foe. It will regroup and resurface. No worries though, we know the antidote.
