Matthew 6:26-30

Her name is Stacy Padrick in a little article called "A Fret Free Diet for a Born Worrier".  She shares growing up as she was going on a skiing trip and her mother would say, 'in case of an avalanche, always dig up'. If she was going to swim or going to the beach, in case of a rip tide, "swim parallel to the shore" and if she was going hiking, 'if you see a mountain lion, wave your arms because that makes you look bigger and that will scare the mountain lion', I guess.  But she was very much raised with the 'imagine the worst, hope for the best' and in her family, as in many families, if you aren't worrying about something, you are irresponsible. So, the habit was very much ingrained in her and when she came to faith in Christ, she realized the Bible says, 'let not your hearts be troubled neither let them be afraid, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, drink, or wear, or do not be anxious but let your request be made known to God and the peace of God which passeth all understanding will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

As we go into the Lenten season, beginning Wed., we tend to think about giving up something....I want to go ahead and let you know that it will probably help most people because some of you here are real advanced in this - you don't worry - but why don't you just give up worrying - seriously.  Ask God to help you not to worry, to worry less to make progress in this area of your life.  There's a lot of good reasons.  It's certainly good for your health, and it's certainly good for your joy to join the abundant life that Christ calls us to.

 One of the reasons I especially want you to think about this morning and throughout this season; how often times has the habit of worry kept you from God's best for your life.....that you have allowed fear, caution, and worry to keep you from, as Peter did, from stepping out of the boat and walk on the water.  Jesus said, 'do not worry about your life'. 

What is worry?  The parable of the sword in Mark Chapter 4 and the sower goes to sow the seed and there's the rocky soil, the seed won't take root  but  there's that soil that won't take root because of thorns - but, it does take root but  begins to get chocked.  The worries of this life is what chokes the word.  The Greek word merimnao literally  means to divide---to strangle-- and this is actually what starts to happen when you get away from being responsible, being concerned, and yet when you start worrying it is  like a negative thought that strangles you, it divides you, it distracts you.  (The English word 'worry' means to 'strangle'.)

In the Bible, a good example of this is Mary and Martha in Luke, Chapter 10 - Jesus has come to see them.  This family - Mary, Martha and Lazarus - are some of his best friends......these are people that he wanted to rest with, to relax with and be with.  He wasn't as concerned as to what was on the menu, he just wanted to be with them.  Martha, though, instead of just simply serving the food and enjoying his company, begins to become worried about people coming to dinner......that happens doesn't it?  Company comes, you begin to think less about them and more about you and how is it going to look - is the house straight, is the food just right, and it  escalates;  and then Martha is upset that Mary is not helping.  Mary is relaxed!  And that's the way it is.  When you're worrying and other people around you are calm and relaxed, it bothers you doesn't it?  I'm upset, you ought to be upset too.  Well, that's the way Martha was and so  Jesus said, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted about many things but only one thing is needful.  It's not good to be a good hostess and have people in your homes and fix a good meal but Jesus realized she had become worried about it.  Worry distracts us, it divides our mind.

This is a poem I came across, written by a 14 year old.  Sometimes people worry and we're just not satisfied, period.  This is called "Present Tense"  and it says:

Present Tense

It was Spring

But it was summer I wanted.

The warm days,

And the great outdoors.

It was summer,

But it was fall I wanted,

The colorful leaves,

And the cool, dry air.

It was fall,

But it was winter I wanted,

The beautiful snow,

And the joy of the holiday season.

It was winter,

But it was spring I wanted,

The warmth and the blossoming of nature.

I was a child, but it was adulthod I wanted.

The freedom, and the respect.

I was 20,

But it was 30 I wanted,

To be mature,

And sophisticated.

I was middle-aged,

But it was 20 I wanted,

The youth,

And the free sprint.

I was retired,

But it was middle age I wanted,

The presence of mind,

Without limitations.

My life was over.

But I never got what I wanted.

Sometimes that's what happens when the worrying habit gets hold of us....we just never are satisfied...we don't realize that it doesn't have to be that way.

In the sixth chaper of Matthew, Jesus says, "therefore I tell you, do not be worrying about your life, what you will eat, or drink, or about you body, what you will wear".  You have to especially remember that the people hearing this, their next meal is very much a concern...and he says, we do not need to worry about this....look at the birds of the air, I take care of them and how much more will I take care of you.  The birds don't sew or reap and yet your heavenly Father feeds them - are you not much more valuable than they.  Who, by worrying, can add a single hour to their life.

I can remember many times visiting with my parents and they would have a place to feed the birds from the back poarch and one of the most peaceful things was to eat breakfast and feed the birds and as they would come, this passage would come back to me.  You could sit out on the back poarch and they would come anyway and something about the birds helps us to relax. Chuck  ?  in his book on simple faith talks about not only the birds but the animal kingdom can be a blessing to us.  He says, "no bird has ever built a more extravagant place to live than a snake.  No fox ever got ticked off because she only had one hole in which to hide with her young.  No squirrel ever had a coronary because he failed to store enough nuts for two winters instead of one. No bear was never envious of another bear with a larger cave in which to hibernate.  No dog ever lost sleep over the fact that he failed to lay up enough bones for his  declining years."   And yet, our heavenly Father takes wonderfully, good care of all of his creatures.  What a waste is worry!

What does Jesus tell us to do about worrying?  You know it's one thing to hear that you are not suppose to do it but what can you do about it.  Well, first of all, we need to be reminded that Jesus says, "Don't do it!"  You know, in my life, I don't really get that far about worrying until I remember what Jesus is saying - this is disobedience.  Yes, it is even sinful to worry.  He says, 'don't do it!'.  When Jesus says, 'don't do it', we're not suppose to do it.

O.K.  don't do it.  So when the habit comes, you need to ask God, 'alright, help me not to do this', confess it, and trust Him instead of worrying....you pray.  And then He says to look at the birds, and the animal kingdom, and see that I take care of them.  I know there are people who beg to differ about what you're going to wear, but, I don't worry enough sometimes.  It's a challenge for me to match my socks - it concerns my family but it doesn't concern me.  But, you know, we all do things to embarrass our families and they love us anyway.

But it says that the lilies of the field are beautiful for 24 hours and that's it....and a lot of times they would take these flowers and throw them in a furnace to make it hotter and He said, 'you know, Solomon and all his wealth and glory is not ............like one of these.  So why should we go around saying, what are we going to eat, what are we going to drink, what are we going to wear or you can take whatever you worry about and fill in the blank,

What are we to do?  Jesus says to seek first His kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.  That is first of all that if we seek his will in what we're concerned about, putting Him  first is our first priority.  And this is where prayer becomes important - alright Lord, this is a chance to trust you - this is not another thing to worry about - I want to learn to trust you about this.  We seek first his kingdom and his righteousness that that means as you go through the faith struggle, you will grow.  God is working his godly character in your life, and your are growing spiritually.  And then you learn to trust your future to the Lord.

It says "therefore, do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about ourselves".  Each day has enough trouble of it's own.   Amen.  Often times we worry about the future instead of living one day at a time.

Stacy Padrick in an article shares these four steps to Worry Chasers.....four ways to banish your anxieties...

first of all:

1.  Pause:   Whenever your mind starts racing, take five long, deep breaths.  Say to yourself, "Today, come what may, I will remain in God's peace," or, "I do not worry about anything.  I trust God in everying," or "The Spirit of peace controls me".  Make time each day to mediate on peace.

2.  Laugh:   Nehemiah wrote, "The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Neh. 8:10).  Find something to laugh about each day.  Look for it!  It will boost your strength.  Create a file in which you save funny cards or e-mails, classic cartoons, and life-giving quotes.

                    Also, hang out with nonworriers.  When we spend time with people who like to laugh, it makes it difficult to remain fixed on our worries.

                   We may assume we can't laugh until our problems are solved.  On the contrary, laughter is a wonderful antidote to worry.

3.  Memorize verses both on worry and God's character.  Write them on small cards to carry with you or display on your dashboard.  When you are waiting in line, in traffic, or in a waiting room, review the verses slowsly and meditatively.

4.  Practice praise.   As we praise the God who created the mountains - and who can move them with a word - we will begin to see our worries shrink.  Play some worship music and sing along.  Take a walk and praise him for the radiant flowers, the delicate and graceful birds, and his promise that you are more important to him

than they are (Matt. 6:26-30).