I heard about a ninety-five year old woman at the nursing home who received a visit from one of her fellow church members. The visitor asked her, "How are you feeling?"
She said, "I'm worried sick!"
Her friend said, "What are you worried about? You look like you're in good health. They're taking good care of you, aren't they?"
She said, "Yes, they are taking very good care of me."
"Well, then, what are you worried about?"
The elderly lady leaned back in her rocking chair and said, "Every close friend I ever had has already died and gone on to heaven. I'm afraid they're all wondering where I went!" (while of a truth the dead don't go to heaven! 1Thees 4:13-18)
My guess is that most of you haven't started worrying about that yet, but my guess is that there's something in your life that worries you. Maybe some of you are worrying about school. Maybe you're worried about upcoming exams and papers that are due.
Or maybe you worry about financial matters (Is the stock market going to crash? What if I reach retirement age and I don't have enough saved up? Or maybe even, Can I afford to fill up my car with gas this month?). Maybe you worry about your job (What if I get laid off? What if I don't get the promotion I'm counting on?).
Maybe you worry about health issues. Maybe you worry about computer viruses or the possibility of being audited by IRS or the embarrassment of having a credit card declined in public. Maybe you worry about how your kids are gonna turn out. I think it's safe to say that worry is one of those problems that we all struggle with from time to time, whether we want to admit it or not.
What is worry? The Greek word comes from two root words meaning "divided" and "mind". In other words, a person who worries suffers from a divided mind. In Luke 10, Jesus used this word to describe a good friend of his. When Martha asked Jesus to rebuke her sister for not helping with the dinner dishes, Jesus said, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42)
Jesus is saying, "Martha, you're trying to do too many things at once. Focus on one thing." We do the same thing -- we keep one eye on God and another eye on the problems we're facing, one eye on God and one eye on all the material things we want to collect.
Now, of course, we're not the first people to experience stress and anxiety. Anxiety has been around for a long time. And in Jesus' day, folks worried just as much we do. They had to deal with the problems of paying their bills, feeding their families, pleasing their employers, raising their children, paying their taxes and saving for the future just like we do.
So what did Jesus say to help them deal with the pressures of life? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus deals honestly with the problem of worrying.
"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?" (Matthew 6:25)
She said, "I'm worried sick!"
Her friend said, "What are you worried about? You look like you're in good health. They're taking good care of you, aren't they?"
She said, "Yes, they are taking very good care of me."
"Well, then, what are you worried about?"
The elderly lady leaned back in her rocking chair and said, "Every close friend I ever had has already died and gone on to heaven. I'm afraid they're all wondering where I went!" (while of a truth the dead don't go to heaven! 1Thees 4:13-18)
My guess is that most of you haven't started worrying about that yet, but my guess is that there's something in your life that worries you. Maybe some of you are worrying about school. Maybe you're worried about upcoming exams and papers that are due.
Or maybe you worry about financial matters (Is the stock market going to crash? What if I reach retirement age and I don't have enough saved up? Or maybe even, Can I afford to fill up my car with gas this month?). Maybe you worry about your job (What if I get laid off? What if I don't get the promotion I'm counting on?).
Maybe you worry about health issues. Maybe you worry about computer viruses or the possibility of being audited by IRS or the embarrassment of having a credit card declined in public. Maybe you worry about how your kids are gonna turn out. I think it's safe to say that worry is one of those problems that we all struggle with from time to time, whether we want to admit it or not.
What is worry? The Greek word comes from two root words meaning "divided" and "mind". In other words, a person who worries suffers from a divided mind. In Luke 10, Jesus used this word to describe a good friend of his. When Martha asked Jesus to rebuke her sister for not helping with the dinner dishes, Jesus said, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42)
Jesus is saying, "Martha, you're trying to do too many things at once. Focus on one thing." We do the same thing -- we keep one eye on God and another eye on the problems we're facing, one eye on God and one eye on all the material things we want to collect.
Now, of course, we're not the first people to experience stress and anxiety. Anxiety has been around for a long time. And in Jesus' day, folks worried just as much we do. They had to deal with the problems of paying their bills, feeding their families, pleasing their employers, raising their children, paying their taxes and saving for the future just like we do.
So what did Jesus say to help them deal with the pressures of life? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus deals honestly with the problem of worrying.
"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?" (Matthew 6:25)
No comments:
Post a Comment