The Fog of Worry

We are a stressed-out, highly medicated bunch in America, and worry is one of our favorite pet sins. Jesus, the Master Teacher understands that we are prone to worry. In His Sermon on the Mount, He tells us not to worry right on the heels of telling us not to seek earthly treasures. He understood that the more a person has (materialism), the more there is a tendency to worry. The paradox is, the “things of this world” do not eliminate worry and anxiety; they heighten it. Some of the biggest lies we can think of begin with, “If I could just get married…If I just had that house…lf I just had more money…If I could just get that special something into my life then I would be happy, but as we all know, it’s never enough. There is no lasting happiness in earthly treasures. True joy only comes in a relationship with Christ. What do you worry about? What divides your attention from heavenly things to earthly things? Jesus gives us a direct command three times in the span of 10 verses, “Do Not Worry.” It’s not a take-it-or-leave-it, or do it if you feel like it statement, it’s an imperative! At the heart, worry is a distrust of God’s promises.

Please understand, He is not saying that we shouldn’t have concerns. We are certainly to think, plan, prepare, use common sense, work, and solve. Jesus is driving the point that at the heart, worry is self-centered and has a lack of trust in God.

Some time ago I came across a fascinating statistic from the Bureau of Standards which said, “a dense fog covering seven city blocks, to a depth of 100 feet, is composed of something less than one glass of water.”

So, if all the fog covering seven city blocks, 100 feet deep, were collected and held in a single drinking glass, it would not even fill it. It got me thinking that if all the things most people worry about were reduced to their true size, you could probably put them all into a drinking glass, too. Think of a time in your past when you didn't think you were going to make it, and God showed up. Use that story to see you through your present. Jesus Christ doesn’t want you to live your life consumed with the cares of this world. Ask Him to help you with this and commit to doing life His way. Press On, Pastor Brian Richard