Worry Is a Choice
Matthew 6: 25 – 34.
Introduction.
A
friend shared with me a list out of the book How to Make Yourself Miserable, by Dan Greenberg and Marcia
Jacobs. If you want something to worry
about, this is a good place to start.
·
Make a list of all
the people you know who are younger than you and more successful than you. (Or read the daily obituaries to see how
other people lived much more interesting lives than yours.)
·
Go on vacation and
imagine either the office falls apart without you or that the office runs
better without you.
·
Write a letter and
place it in the mailbox. Then, try to
figure out which part of the letter will be misunderstood. (Of course, this also works with text
messages.)
·
Get a medical book
(or log onto www.webmd.com) and look up ten fatal diseases. Then, see how many symptoms you already have.
·
Go to the
cosmetics counter at the mall. Ask the
woman working there what you can do to improve your face.
·
Buy a stock and
check the market value of the stock every day.
Try to figure out how much money you are losing per day.
Anxiety
and worry are an important part of who we are.
If we think of anxiety and worry as forms of fear—fear of the future,
then we could even build a case that we would not have survived as a human race
without anxiety and worry. In some
cases, fear can be a positive and protective force. Imagine a prehistoric man coming face to face
with a saber tooth tiger…Or an African man who walks up on a lion…Or a Texas
Worry
is a positive when it causes us to wear our seat belts or to resist the urge to
drive 100 miles per hour. Worry is a
good thing if it leads us to buy insurance policies for our homes, cars and
even our lives. Worry is a helpful thing
as long as it drives us away from risky lifestyle choices, because we don’t
want our kids to grow up without a father.
However, there is a difference between the fear of a rattlesnake and
worrying about children growing up without a father. Fear is a response to a real threat. Worry is the fear of an imagined threat. Most of what we worry about never actually
happens in the real world.
We
have all experienced worry at one time in our lives. You know what worry feels like. But, do you know what the word “worry”
actually means?
“Worry” comes from the Old English word
“wyrgan,” which means “to strangle”…In other words, to worry is to allow your
imagination of the future to strangle you and squeeze the life out of your
present life.
One of my favorite words to use
describing my own worry is the word “Fret.”
“Fret” comes from the Old English word “fretan” and the German word
“fressen.” Both of these words refer to
the act of an animal’s eating.
Therefore, to fret is to allow something to eat away at your heart or
mind.
Maybe you are thinking: “I don’t worry or
fret. I am just anxious.” Well, “anxious” comes from the Latin word
“anguere,” which also means “to choke.”
It has the same root as the word “anger.”
From
a practical standpoint, I think we can all agree that worrying, fretting and
being anxious are not good for us. Worry
paralyzes us in the present, because we are so afraid of our imagined future.
Medically
speaking, we have learned in recent years that worry can shorten our lives and
cause health problems.
Spiritually
speaking…Well, Jesus had something to say about worry in the Sermon on the
Mount. Jesus tells us that worry is a
sin, because it reveals how little we actually trust God to take care of us in
the future. Jesus makes an obvious
connection between worry and “O, ye of little faith.”
Matthew 6: 25 – 34.
25 "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 important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 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? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ?
28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 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, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
The
first word Jesus said in this passage is the word “therefore.” Usually, the word “therefore” tells us to
look back at the passage that came before.
In this case, Jesus is calling our attention to his teaching about
storing up treasures in heaven rather than treasures on earth. Treasures on earth is the biblical phrase for
“stuff.” Jesus teaches us that “stuff”
we accumulate on earth cannot satisfy our desires. It does not satisfy, because it is only
temporary and it can never be secure.
The more “stuff” we accumulate on earth, the more likely we are to worry
about our “stuff.” We worry about
thieves, rust or market fluctuation. In
this case, we don’t have “stuff.” Our
“stuff” has us. It controls our lives
through worry and anxiety. Therefore, do
not worry.
Notice
that Jesus gives us the command, “Do not worry…” This tells me that worry is a choice. We do not have to worry. We choose to worry instead of placing our
perception of the future in God’s hands.
We choose to worry by imagining the future as a “worse-case-scenario.”
On
one hand, there is a difference between worry and fear. Fear is real.
Worry is imagined. On the other
hand, there is also a difference between worry and faith. Worry is obsessed with the future. Faith places the future in God’s hands.
Worry Cannot Provide Security
Sometimes we worry about security because we
can’t see any good options. We run out
of week before we run out of work to do.
We run out of money before we run out of month. We never know week to week or month to month
how it is going to work out, but it always works out.
Jesus tells us that worrying over security is
a distinctive human characteristic. The
plants and the animals don’t worry about their security.
For example…Birds do not plant crops, harvest
crops or hoard crops in barns. Yet, the
birds have plenty of food to eat.
Wildflowers do not labor and spin. I used to imagine flowers in the field
spinning around in circles when I read Jesus’ words. That is not what “spin” means. It refers to the act of spinning wool into
thread. In other words, flowers do not
labor over making their own clothes.
And, they don’t go to the mall or drive to Tyler and The Woodlands
trying to find something to wear.
Worrying is something only humans do. And worrying is silly when we compare
ourselves to the rest of God’s created order.
Human beings are the only created beings that were created in the image
of God. Human beings were the only created
beings with whom God desired an eternal relationship. Therefore, if God can provide for the birds
and the flowers, God must also be capable of providing for those he loves.
Food and clothing are two of the three basic
human needs: food, shelter and clothing.
Jesus is not talking about something that is insignificant. Yet, we once had an even greater need. Sin separated us from God. Our sin condemned us to eternal death in
hell. So, God took the initiative to send
his only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross and to rise again. If God can be trusted in eternal matters,
then God can be trusted with temporary matters like food and clothing.
Worry Cannot Make Life Better or Longer
Verse
27 demonstrates the true futility of worry.
Life is in God’s hands, not ours.
Worrying does nothing to improve life.
There
are two ways to translate verse 27.
Literally, it reads: “Who of you by worrying can add a single cubit to
his height?” Symbolically, we can
translate it: “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”
Believe
me…If I could worry myself about 4 inches taller, I would have done it 20 years
ago. And, if I could make myself
younger…Well, at 42 years old, I have days when I think I am an old man… No one can make themselves taller or younger
through worry. This is in God’s hands.
This
verse contains a hint of irony as well.
Worry cannot make life longer, it makes life shorter. Worry does not make life better, it makes
life worse.
Since
none of us can make our lives longer, the only choice we can make deals with
the kind of life we will live. We cannot
control the quantity of life, but we can control the quality of life. Since
we cannot add days to our lives, we ought to add life to our days! The best quality of life is a life lived with
Jesus in the Kingdom
of God Kingdom of God
The
Kingdom of God is the place where Heaven and earth come together. As Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6, “Let
your Kingdom come, Let your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” The Kingdom of God is when God’s will is done
on earth as it is in Heaven. Where God
is King on earth as he is in Heaven.
Where God’s justice is done on earth as it is in Heaven. In short, the Kingdom of God is Heaven on
earth.
Worry Cannot Honor God
Jesus
makes two statements about how worry does not honor God.
In
verse 30, Jesus makes a connection between worry and a lack of faith. Obsessing about food, shelter and clothing
denies God’s ability to provide for all our needs. It is a confession that we trust more in our
own ability to provide for ourselves than God’s ability to provide for us.
Of
course, this does not mean that Christians are not supposed to earn a living or
to plan for the future. In the context,
it teaches just the opposite. Jesus
praised the birds and the flowers for their ability to live life without worry. Yet, notice that the birds are very
industrious creatures. Robins dig for
worms…Woodpeckers burrow holes in trees for insects…Buzzards fly in circles for
hours searching for dead animals…Hawks hunt and stalk live prey. Also notice that plants develop buds and
flowers as a result of an internal process of growth and development. Both birds and flowers are good examples of
the ways we are to work and trust in God.
Do what you can do to provide for your needs, but recognize that only
God provides. Do what you can do, and
leave the rest in God’s hands.
In
verses 31 and 32, Jesus compares our worried activity with a pagan
lifestyle. The pagans were not
atheists. Pagans believe in a whole
pantheon of gods. If you have ever read
the stories of ancient Roman and Greek mythology, you will remember how these
false gods were preoccupied with their own needs and desires. The false gods could not be trusted. They were unreliable and constantly changing
their minds.
When
we worry, we confess to the world that we do not believe our God is
trustworthy. Yet, Jesus teaches us that
God is like a Heavenly Father who knows us, loves us, and places our needs
above all else. He knows what we need
even before we ask. He wants to bless us
and provide for all our needs…Just as an earthly father desires to give good
gifts to his own child.
Worry Cannot Make Tomorrow a Better Day
Jesus
ends his teaching about worry with a confusing statement about tomorrow. I think we can interpret this by saying
something like: “Don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow there will be
something entirely different to worry about.”
Face tomorrow when tomorrow comes.
Don’t obsess about something that may never happen. How many of your worries have actually
happened? Most of the time we worry
about the “worst-case-scenario,” only to face problems that are not as
difficult as we first imagined them.
Some
people live in the past, nostalgic for the “good ole days.” Living in the past guarantees that we do not
have a present or a future.
Other
people worry about the future, exchanging life today for the worries of
tomorrow. Living in the
“worst-case-scenario” guarantees that the past does not matter and the present
is irrelevant.
Jesus
did not tell us to stop worrying, because the future will be better than the
past or present. He actually told us
that tomorrow will be filled with “trouble.”
Literally, Jesus said, “Each day has enough EVIL of its own.” Yet, he did promise to be with us… The same
yesterday, today and tomorrow. As long
as it is today, live in the presence and provision and protection of
Jesus. Tomorrow will bring its own
problems, but Jesus is already there.
Conclusion.
The remedy for worry is found in verse
33… Seek first the Kingdom of God
The verb “seek” is a present imperative. Imperative means it is a command from
Jesus. The present tense means that is
should be interpreted as continuous action.
In other words, Jesus said: “Keep on seeking the Kingdom of God Kingdom of God
Keep on seeking God’s will on earth as it is
in Heaven. Keep on seeking God’s
sovereignty on earth as it is in Heaven.
Keep on seeking God’s justice on earth as it is in Heaven.
In 1934, theologian Reinhold Niebuhr prayed a
short, simple prayer that has become life changing for many people. It has been titled “The Serenity Prayer” and
has been adopted by many groups of folks, including Alcoholics Anonymous[1].
God, grant
me the serenity
To accept
the things I cannot change;
The courage
to change the things that I can;
And the
wisdom to know the difference.
Imagine a world in which we lived out that prayer…Accepting
the things that we cannot change…Working to change the things we can
change…Listening to God to discern the difference between the two…
Imagine a world in which we followed the
command of Jesus…Keep on seeking God’s Kingdom…Don’t allow the cares of the
world to interrupt our number one priority…
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