Don't Worry, Be Happy

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

No problem!?!? Jesus speaks these words to us in Matthew 6:25-34. He addresses our basic needs; food & clothing. Most of us usually begin here everyday and often times these very things can become a stumbling block to a great day in the Lord.

Jesus asks us in verse 25, "is life not more than food and the body more than clothing?" Too often we begin to identify ourselves with our look or our image and when those things aren't working we crumble, become stressed out or even worry. Don't think you are one of them? Then see if you can relate to these examples.

Ladies, have you ever skipped church or another event because of a bad hair day or because you had "nothing" to wear?

Gentlemen, is your hair too thin and your waist too thick? Two words... comb over!

I'm not saying its bad to look your best, but when that begins to affect your attitude and your fellowship with others or more importantly with our Lord then there may be a worry issue.

Jesus then gives us the example of the birds, how they don't plant, they don't harvest and they don't keep a pantry (or barn) full of Y2K back-up food. But they are provided for and they do not starve. Something interesting about the bird illustration though is this. Birds are not usually in the same place all the time. When the food runs out or when the weather gets harsh the birds move. We tend to get very comfortable in our little ruts and then get angry at God for not providing for us. I think sometimes that we may need to move. God will always provide, he promises us that in these verses. However, we may have to make an effort to look for that provision.

Jesus makes mention of the Gentiles (the unsaved) in verse 32. They seek after possessions and provision because they have no hope. They have nothing else to do except worry about their next meal. Those of us who know Jesus have a hope in the eternal. We don't have to worry about the temporal earthly things because we have an eternal mindset.

We are to seek first the kingdom of God and He will provide more than we need. In Matthew 14 we read of the account of Peter walking on the water to Jesus. When Peter got out of the boat it was windy and waves were crashing all around but it did not matter because Peter was focused on his Master. It says in verse 30, "but when he saw the wind was boisterous, he was afraid..." Nothing changed except Peter's focus. The wind and waves were always there, Peter just took his eyes off of Jesus and he sank. But if we continue reading we see that when Peter cries out "Lord help me!" Verse 31 tells us "immediately Jesus reached out His hand." Too many times we don't cry out to our Savior, we are more content to worry about the situation or the circumstance rather than seeking first His kingdom. We struggle to swim back to the boat while Jesus waits for us to acknowledge His presence so that he can immediately extend His hand to us.

Why do we worry? I truly believe it is a lack of faith. We don't trust God to handle those things that we think we are capable of handling. We must also change our expectations. We get a sense of entitlement and think that God must meet our needs on our terms. None of us are exempt from the storms of this life.

John 16:33 tells us that in this world we will have trouble, but Jesus also says in this verse, "be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." The storms are always around, the key is to keep our focus on our Savior and we will not sink nor will we be overcome by the troubles of this world.

To quote a great worship song:

"When the oceans rise and thunders roar

I will soar with you above the storm.

Father you are king over the flood

I will be still and know you are God"

May we all find peace and stillness in the glory of our Lord.

Don't worry, Be Happy!