DON’T WORRY, IT COULD BE WORSE
By: C. Mason Davis
A Peanuts cartoon showed Charlie Brown bringing Snoopy his dinner on Thanksgiving Day. But it was just his usual dog food. Snoopy looked at his bowl and said, “This isn’t fair. The rest of the world today is eating turkey with all the trimmings, and all I get is dog food.” He stared at his food and said, “I guess it could be worse. I could be a turkey.”
TODAYS SCRIPTURE
Matthew 6:34: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Worry is a state of the mind. It’s not a disease. It’s not an illness. But it is an excuse. It is one of the most overused excuses one can use to hide from life. An excuse to avoid anything and everything in attempting to shelter oneself from living a life that God would want you to experience. The Bible tells us that worrying is a complete waste of time. Matthew 6:27 says, "Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?" This verse suggests that most of what we worry about doesn't happen. Jesus also says in Matthew 6:25, “Therefore, I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?”
There are two things in life you should never worry about. First, those things you can change, and things you can do something about. Second, those things you can’t do anything about. If there is nothing you can do why spend your time worrying? Don’t waste your time. Matthew points out that life is much bigger than the things that we worry about, and think are so important. In Matthew 6:26, Jesus says, “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” Do you think they’re worried? God takes care of them. He takes care of us. So, worrying is simply a waste of time and time is precious.
Although to worry about anything is a waste of time, as humans, most of use worry because we think the worst of every situation. That every situation that we find ourselves worrying about is at a level that “nothing could be worse” than what you’re going thru at that time. Everything becomes dire. Because of this, we scare ourselves into becoming very negative in every thought and start to feel that there is no hope.
As a child, I was always made fun of because of my first and middle names. My mother told me that my first name was her father’s first name, and my middle name was my dad’s father’s middle name. My full name is Carlie Mackenzie Davis. The Davis part of my name is great, but the first and middle names are…well, embarrassing to me. After some thought and research, I found that if I had been named for my dad’s father’s first name and my mother’s father’s middle name, I then realized just how much worse my name could have been. I would have been named, Ego Wayne Davis. Thus, this issue could really have been worse than it was. Since that time, I’ve tried not to worry about anything because no matter what I’ve been through, it could always be worse.
Worry can become even worse as it can develop into anxiety which is an overwhelming apprehension that causes people to become distressed, distraught, and tormented with the inability to cope. Worry is very bad for your overall health. Bad for your mind, body, and soul. What is worry spiritually? The spiritual side of worry is an indication of emotional attachments, lack of willingness to put forth consistent effort, lack of faith, and ultimately a lack of understanding of how faith in God works.
In?Matthew,?Jesus talks about a topic we can all relate to, and that word is “worry.” Now we understand worry and we understand what it means to be thankful, but I don’t think that we understand the connection between the two and how thankfulness can help us overcome worry. Matthew 6:31-33 says, “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
But why worry? There only two things to worry about.
Either you are well, or you are sick.
If you are well there is nothing to worry about.
If you are sick, then there are only two things to worry about.
Either you will get well, or you will die.
If you get well then there is nothing to worry about.
If you die, then there are only two things to worry about.
Either you will go to heaven, or you will go to hell.
If you go to heaven, then there is nothing to worry about.
If you go to hell, you will be so busy catching up with your old friends that you won’t have time to worry.
Worry reflects a lack of gratitude. He tells us stop worry about what you are going to eat, what you’re going to drink and what you’re going to wear. Stop and focus on what you have, not what you don’t have. Because most of us have plenty, especially compared to people in other parts of the world. Does this make sense? Worry reflects a lack of priorities, but when you know to be thankful for what you do have, it’s because you know things could be worse.
The key word in today’s passage is “worry.” Worrying is not supposed to be an option for the Christian. Jesus doesn’t suggest we stop worrying. He doesn’t tell us he thinks it’s a good idea. He commands it. And so, we need to obey and not worry. If anything, be more focused on how things can be worse than they are or than how you expect things to be, then give thanks to God for the life you have. Growing up, I was always in sports where we had a saying, “Don’t sweat the small stuff, and it’s all small stuff.” We went into every event with confidence just as God wants you to live each day with the confidence to overcome every hurdle in life that could possibly make you worry, but instead, defeat those hurdles with confidence. Can you add even one hour to your life by worrying about it? The answer of course is no. Worrying can actually shorten your life, but you cannot add a single hour to your life by worrying. God can show you the way or provide the way for you. He didn’t remove the Red Sea, He parted it. God doesn’t always remove your problems, but He will make a way through them.
Your life is in God’s hands. He determined the day you were born, and he determines the day you will die. Some of us live a long life; some of us die sooner than others. Jesus also teaches that worry is incompatible with faith. Worry replaces faith. Worry is impatient with faith. Matthew, 6:30 states, “Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” Another way to look at worry is to ask yourself what Jesus asked. He asked, “Why do you worry?” Now he reveals the answer to his own question. It is due to a lack of faith. First of all, worry has to do with the future. Jesus says, in Matthew 6:34, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." I once saw a bumper sticker that read: “Smile! Tomorrow may be worse!” Don’t let worry about tomorrow rob you of God’s blessings for today. Jesus is telling us to live for the moment, not in fear of the future. Why add tomorrow’s trouble to today?
God doesn’t promise you a trouble-free life, but he does offer you a worry-free life. God gives you all grace and mercy you need for each day. Everyone has daily troubles, but as God’s children, we also have daily mercies. We read in Lamentations 3:22-23, “His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” God cares for you, for me, for us, for everybody, very much. And he does! If you are in Christ, you have a heavenly Father who knows what you need and has promised to take care of you. Worry is incompatible with faith. Put your trust in God and seek his kingdom first.
How many would like to learn how to worry more? Worrying about things is like riding a stationary bike. There is a lot of energy expended but there is no forward progress. Jesus uses the birds of the air and the flowers of the fields to drive home this point. But I think the best evidence that tells us how much God cares for us is found in?John 3:16."For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God loves each of us.
Advice from An Old Farmer
Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.
Keep skunks, lawyers, politicians, and bankers at a distance.
Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
Words that soak into your ears are whispered… not yelled.
Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight.
Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads.
Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.
You cannot unsay a cruel word.
Every path has a few puddles and pot holes.
When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
The best sermons are lived, not preached.
Most of the stuff people worry about ain’t never gonna happen anyway.
Don’t judge folks by their relatives.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Live a good, honorable life… Then when you get older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time.
Don‘t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t bothering you none.
Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain dance.
If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’.
Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
The biggest troublemaker you’ll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin’.
Always drink upstream from the herd.
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back in.
If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around.
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.
Most times, it just gets down to common sense.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”? Ask and ye shall receive. Seek and ye shall find. Knock, and doors will open for you.
We worry because we don’t know what is going to happen tonight, tomorrow, or next week. Don’t cry over the past, it’s gone. Don’t stress about the future, it hasn’t arrived. Live in the present and make it beautiful. We worry because we are not in control. We worry because it’s all we can do and still it is not enough. Give it to God and He will provide. I’m trusting in a God who loves me always. Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” I’m trusting in a God who has everything pass through His hands first. Psalm 103:11 says, “For His unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.” I’m trusting in a God who is working for my good. Matthew 10:29-31 says, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” I’m trusting in a God who will right all wrongs someday. Romans 8:28 states, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” I’m trusting in a God who will trade every sorrow for joy in eternity. Acts 17:31 says, “For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.” And finally, I’m trusting in a God who will kiss my boo-boo’s when I fall. Revelation 21:4 states that, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” So, don’t worry, be happy! You can have one or the other, but not both. It is my prayer for you all that you’ll choose to be happy. Amen!
