What About Worry

Several years ago, there was a catchy song on the radio that told us, "Don't worry, be happy!". A popular satire magazine's featured character has, "What, me worry?", as his catch-phrase. We'd all love to think and act like worry wasn't a part of our landscape, but studies show that worry is the main cause of stress in people's lives. We burn a lot of time, energy and resources in an attempt to control things we have little or no control over--because we worry.

Jesus went to great lengths to assure us that as God's men, worry should never dominate our lives. In Matthew 6, he reminds us that creatures as simple as birds--who have no ability or means to provide for themselves--are taken care of by God and that as the prize of his creation, we should expect nothing less. Jesus tells us not to worry about our basic needs being met (v.25). He reminds us that we are more valuable than any thing else God created (v.26) and that we cannot improve or extend our life one hour by worrying (v.27). He assures us that our Heavenly Father is well aware of our needs and He is willing, able and better equipped to meet those needs than anyone else (v.32).

Rick Warren once said that worry is a warning light that you've shoved God to the sideline. In its basic form, worry is a heart condition that reveals a lack of faith and trust in God's grace; which is always more than sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9). To battle our natural tendency to worry, we must cling to the promise of Matthew 6:33---but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Then we can be sure that worry, not God, gets relegated to the sidelines.