Matthew 6: 25-30, 33

“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?

But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Don’t Worry

“Can any of you, by worrying, add a single hour to your span of life?”

I suspect Jesus’ question hits a tender spot for many of us… on two counts: If there’s anything in the world we’re really good at, it’s worrying; and nothing is more precious to us than time. In fact, the two are intimately related, because time is the thing that worries us most.

Preachers, politicians, and comedians know that “timing is everything.” And we worry about it… We worry about being late, missing deadlines, oversleeping… We run to make connections at airports. I curse my computer when a document takes more than half a minute to print, or when I have to wait a few seconds to search a database — even though the same task may have taken hours just a few years ago.

If it seems like everything is moving faster and faster, it’s not your imagination. We’re all likely to be working longer hours and sleeping less than our parents or grandparents ever did. And we seldom do only one thing at a time anymore… Do you ever look around when you’re stopped at a red light: How many drivers do you see who aren’t talking on their cell phones, sipping coffee, or at the very least, grumbling at the annoying behavior of the driver in front of them? We call it multitasking. And why do we do it? Because we’re worried about wasting time.

“Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?” Of course we can’t… but we’re certainly giving it our best shot!

Unfortunately for us, the implication of Jesus’ question is that all this worrying — all this hurrying — all this “time pressure” we create for ourselves — is utterly and undeniably counterproductive.

We behave as if doing three things at once were something to be proud of. But in fact, it may be one of the symptoms of a fundamental deficiency in our lives, or worse — a profound spiritual sickness in our society.

“Don’t worry about your life…” Jesus said, “about what you will eat or what you will drink, or… what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air… the lilies of the field… how they grow; they neither toil nor spin.”

In other words, “Wake up and smell the coffee. God knows your needs. Stop worrying!”

Now, a friend of mine says those are either some of the most important, or the silliest words Jesus ever spoke! Look at the birds… They may not be worrying, but they appear to spend every waking hour finding food and shelter. And they’re not always successful: a high percentage of them die of hunger and thirst. Maybe they just don’t know enough to worry.

Worrying seems to be part of the human condition. In this decade, we’ve worried a great deal about terrorism. Today we’re worried about $130-dollar-a-barrel crude oil and what it’s doing to our economy and how it affects our lives. We worry about who’s going to be our next president.

Unlike the birds and lilies, we’re aware of our limitations… our mortality… the finite quality of our lives. And in the face of our awareness, Jesus says, “Don’t worry. God will take care of your needs.”  Profound? Or silly?

Frederick Buechner says telling us not to worry is like telling someone with a cold not to sneeze. I think we Americans, in particular, have elevated anxiety to a fine art. But there are some who would like to break that mold.

Seven or eight years ago Barbara Brown Taylor, an Episcopal priest and prolific writer, gave herself a wonderful 50th birthday present: a year of Jubilee, during which she vowed to accept no new responsibilities. She continued to love her neighbors, she says — she just didn’t look for any more.

I think there’s some truth in Taylor’s observation that Americans have made an idol of exhaustion. In a Christian Century article, she wrote, “The only time we [think we’ve] done enough is when we’re running on empty, and when the ones we love most are the ones we see least. When we lie down to sleep at night, we offer our full appointment calendars to God in lieu of prayer, believing that God — who is as busy as we are — will surely understand.”

But that’s not the way it works, is it? That is what we do, but it certainly isn’t what God wants us to do. When Jesus said, “Don’t worry about your life,” he was reminding us that God cares about us, and about our welfare. Our busy appointment calendars, full gas tanks or healthy bank accounts can’t guarantee our happiness or well-being.

•  Only God can give us true security.

•  Only God can give us genuine peace.

•  Only God can give us unconditional love.

And the assurance of God’s love is what frees us from worry and anxiety.

Was Jesus oblivious to the reality of our lives when he said God would take care of our needs? Was he being silly when he told us not to worry? Or are we the silly ones? We spend all our precious time trying to care for our families and secure our futures, when — if Jesus is right, as we know he is — our peace and security have already been guaranteed.

Jesus invites us to give ourselves a break — to embark on a permanent Jubilee from the worries of life — to seek God’s divine rhythm for our lives, rather than racing to keep one step ahead of everyone else.

Jesus invites us to live fully and abundantly — not by the fruits of our labor — not by any of the things we worry about — but by the grace of God. Simply living each day, breathing in and breathing out, is a wondrous gift — the ultimate experience of God’s love; and Jesus promised that God will give us all we truly need.

What is it we need? The answer depends on who’s really in charge of our lives. If we allow our fears… our anxieties… our worries to take over, what is life really worth?

For our lives to have meaning — to be fully alive — we have to let God set the pace; we have to live at the tempo God sets for us. Only then will we be free to enjoy what we’ve been given — free to live passionately and exuberantly in the embrace of God’s love. Only then can we discover that there’s more to life than our busy schedules, or our professional accomplishments, or the value of our investments.

Accept life as a gift from God, and take time to appreciate its beauty… its passion… its joy. Accept life as a gift from God, and stop worrying. Then you’ll really have something to be thankful for.

Thanks be to God.

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