What’s The Use Of Worry?

Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things? Luke 12:25-26

JESUS WAS SPEAKING to disciples who were filled with anxiety about having enough —enough food to eat, enough clothes to wear. We, too, are disciples who are filled with anxiety about whether or not we will have enough —enough insight into our child’s issues, enough energy for meeting our child’s needs, enough income for our child’s education, enough influence to open up doors for our child. We worry about whether our sons and daughters have enough friends, enough talent, enough intelligence, enough common sense, enough ambition, and enough opportunity. So we need to consider the question Jesus poses and the instruction he gives to his disciples.

Jesus tells them to look at the birds that are fed by God and the lilies of the field that are made beautiful by God. He tells us that we have something unbelievers don’t have that should make all the difference when we are tempted to worry about not having enough —we have a Father who knows our needs and will give us everything we need.

Jesus asks his disciples if our worries have the creative power to actually add to our lives. And as soon as we hear the question, we know the answer. We know that all of the energy we give to worry is really only robbing us of peace. None of us have enough control over our lives or our children’s lives to add a single hour to them through worry or manipulation. Our children have nothing to gain by our ongoing anxiety, which becomes evident in our interactions and surely does not escape their notice. Do we really want to breathe out our fears about the future into the lives of our children, or do we want to radiate restful confidence in God?

Father, I don’t want to be afraid. I don’t want to lie awake at night working my way through all of my worries. I don’t want my conversations with friends or my words to my children to be saturated with the sin of worry. I’m taking you at your Word that it gives you great happiness to give us the Kingdom. And if we have that, we have everything we need.