September 25, 2010 - Matthew 6:34 - Do not worry

"So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today."

It seems to me that I come back to this verse a lot. Because I AM a worrier. It is silly, I know. Our lives are in God's hands, and He's got everything all worked out. He knows what is best for us, and if we just LISTEN everything will come out just fine. It's not even the listening part that I have a problem with...it's that, God help me, I do like to be in control.

I've heard it said that worry is simply suffering in advance, usually about things over which we have no control. You see a fire engine up the street and pray, Lord, let it not be my house. Well, such a prayer is useless...if its your house, its your house. Such a prayer changes nothing, except that if its not your house, you can say, thank You, God!

So, what do I worry about? I worry about my daughters, are they well? Are they healthy? How are they doing? I worry about my dogs. How will Valentino take the move? Will Jasper go exploring when we get to a new place and not know how to get back? Will they stay healthy? I worry about my finances. Will I have enough when I retire? What will I do if...if...if...
It's never ending.

But here...I would invite you to dust off your Bibles, turn to this passage, and back up. Back up to verse 25 and start reading there. Can we add one single hour to our life by worrying? No. If anything, we shorten our lives by worrying about things that are beyond our control. Our Heavenly Father knows what we need. He knows about our families, and our finances, and our dogs and our jobs and what we will eat and wear and do. He knows all that stuff. So, why on earth should I take on such worries?

So, today, I will once again try and throw down the burden of worry, and just let God be God. I was never very good at that anyway...

Blessings, Phoenix