- Jan 31, 2024
- 3 min read
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today” (Matthew 6:25-34). I worry about a lot of things. I worry much less now than I used to worry, however, I still worry. This whole journey started with worrying about what my family and I were going to eat. Supply chains, government lockdowns, corrupt systems, social injustice, there is a lot that I can choose to worry about. But striving for the Kingdom of God and His righteousness lessens the volume of those worries and puts life into perspective.
Worrying doesn’t change the situation. There is a lot of anxiety and fear these days and worry is at the center of that problem. Folks are rightfully concerned about inflation, violence, crime, injustice, poverty, and all the worries of the world. I spent a long time worried about who was going to be in power in America and how the systems were oppressive and problematic. I spent a long time letting that worry turn into anger, fear, and frustration that I took out on those around me and myself. BUT four years ago, I started getting serious about following Him and working on His Kingdom. And most of those worries have subsided. I don’t worry about food because I became a gentleman farmer. I don’t worry about justice because I present His Kingdom and its righteousness to the world. I don’t worry about politics because I already have my King. Working on Kingdom business puts the rest of the world’s worries into perspective and that perspective is that those things just aren’t anything to worry about. When I got busy doing Kingdom work, I had a lot less time to worry. And with the time that I have to worry, there is always something for which to praise and be thankful. Getting about doing the work of the Kingdom is a wonderful cure for worry. Pray, read, study, fast, meditate, and live out His righteousness and praise the God that established His Kingdom free of worry.
Grace and Shalom to your home.