Stop Being a Worrywart!

 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life  —whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” (Matthew 6:25-27)

       In this day and age, there is so much to worry about. If you lost your job, you worry if you’ll find a new one — fast! If your company downsized and moved you into a job you despise, you worry if you’ll ever find a new position you’ll love. If you’re a student, you worry about homework, exams, and keeping up with all of your assignments. If you’re a mom or dad, you worry about your children. If you’re a daughter or son of elderly parents, you worry about their welfare. If you’re in your late 40s or 50s, you worry if you’ll have enough money for retirement. Then, there’s the terrorism, wars, and the rising crime rate.

       The list can go on and on.

       It’s in these times that it’s so crucial to know the Lord and to be in constant communication with him. Not only for the salvation of our souls, but to have an almighty, all-powerful God to lean on and trust in. Jesus simply tells us not to worry about anything, because He loves and cares about us more than we could ever imagine, and He’s got everything in our lives under control. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like He’s got everything under control when it seems as though many aspects of our lives are out of control.

       I’ve been worried and anxious lately about a particular aspect of my life. And I haven’t been in the best of moods. In fact, I’ve been in a real funk. But recently, the Lord reminded me of the passage in Matthew. Just weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised by a large flock of Robin Red Breasts that descended on one of my trees in my front yard.

       They came to eat the crab apples on the branches and those that fell on my snow-covered lawn. They didn’t seem to have a worry in the world as they pecked and ate the hard-shelled fruit, perched on the branches to rest, and chirped with one another. And it was freezing outside. It was an unusual site for a snowy January.

       But it was during this time that this passage came to life. Birds don’t have a worry in the world because our heavenly Father feeds and takes care of them — even in the dead of winter. And since we’re more valuable than they are, we’re not to worry about anything either. Why? Because God promises to take even better care of us than He does of them. He promises to sustain us, protect us, and look out for us no matter what.

       Knowing this brings me great peace. And I hope it gives you peace as well as you navigate the often rough terrain of life.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, as we watch the birds build their nests, forage for food, and fly through the air carefree, may we be reminded that we are more valuable than they are, and that you’ll continue to feed, cloth, and provide for us even more so. In Jesus name, Amen!