Topic

Gordon Smith spoke from Mt 6: 25 “Do not worry about your life”. If you’re not worried about something in your life, people wonder if you’re ok. Our economy, the stock market, academia, even election candidates respond to worries and fears, rather than appealing to the inspiring, to our hopes and dreams. Henry Nouwen says fear is so pervasive that we do not know how to live without fear. Jesus calls on us not to worry, because it is of no value to do so. Science is beginning to discover that worry often shortens life, rather than lengthening it, etching itself into our faces, our bodes, our minds, and eventually our souls, robbing us of joyous and vibrant life. Jesus does not say “do not worry because you have nothing to worry about” – he calls on us to live in intimate trust with God, to let the birds and flower be our teachers. Though you may suspect God has “lost our file”, he cares deeply about our situation. We must be intentional in response to fear, and respond in Christian practice thus: “Humble yourselves before the Lord and cast your cares upon him, one by one, for He cares for you” (1Pe5). Name our fears – list anxieties on a piece of paper and pray for them regularly – weekly or even daily for some of us. The act of making the list brings up other items, and one is often surprised by how long the list is. Gordon’s story about his five-year-old son Micah worrying about where they were going to spend the night on a cross-country trip illustrated perfectly this – When Gordon finally told Micah ”Don’t worry about where we will spend the night – I will do that” Micah settled down and stopped worrying. It was not a stupid worry – it was just too big for a five-year-old. Similarly, the worries you have that are too big, cast upon the Lord. [AP]