These last few weeks have dredged up about a billion reasons for me to worry. I left my son for the first time over night (for four whole days!), my whole little family was in a minor car accident, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, and a thousand other small things too! The stress and worry of things like this can really impair me. I get headaches, my morning sickness doubles, and I get crabby...I mean really crabby.
Worry is a highly toxic waste of emotion, wouldn't you agree? I mean when you have wrinkles named after something, it cannot be good! (okay, maybe the exception is laugh lines!)
How do we rid ourselves of worry? Do we just crawl into a cave and hide? For me, even that wouldn't work. I would worry about the bats and other creepy crawlies just waiting to get me in the dark! How about we look at what the Bible has to say about the subject.
Jesus taught about worry in the Sermon on the Mount. Here's what He had to say:
“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 than food, and the body more than clothes? 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? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 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—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his 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.”
That is a whole lot that He said. Let's break it down a little. Jesus asks a few simple questions to try and put everything in to perspective - isn't life more than food?; isn't the body more than clothes?; aren't you more valuable than the birds?
He basically is saying that God takes care of the birds and he clothes the grass! If He does this, why wouldn't he take care of us? I think that is an extremely comforting thought. The God of the universe who made me knows what I need and will provide!
But, is there a catch at the end? The whole seek first the kingdom seems like a pretty tall order, doesn't it? It really does seem hard doesn't it? I thought so too, until I realized God's kingdom benefits from obedience to God's will, and God's will for my life is far easier to follow than carving out my own crazy ways. (I mean really, if I had my own way, I would have been married to a person I now know I could have never lived with, been in a profession I couldn't have handled, and not be on route to France with my amazing small family!)
When I personally seek God's kingdom and righteousness above my own wants or needs it is easy to see how God provides. For instance, a few weeks ago, I was wondering how I might be able to buy what my son needs in clothing. We have an extremely limited budget, and he grows quickly. My husband and I were praying about our situation, when a few days later an acquaintance of my husband asked if we could use little boy clothes. Awesome, isn't it?! I'm not saying it always works like this, but God has always given us what we need (not always what we want, but that's another story).
So, right now, with diabetes looming over my head, I am choosing to not worry, and do what it says in Philippians: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
I really do find it is much easier to pray than to worry, don't you?
How have you seen God give you peace though times of worry?
XO,
Bliss
No comments:
Post a Comment