Do Not Worry About Your Life

I'm a worrier. I see the glass half empty, which is one reason why I married Matt. He's not about doom and gloom, he always sees the positive in a situation. I've certainly had my excuses for my worrying. "It's in my German blood." "I come from a long line of worriers." "Some one's got to worry in this family." Matt will sometimes ask me why I didn't sleep well. My reply is, "I was trying to add a cubit to my life." In reality, there is no excuse. The Bible says that worrying is sinful--period. Yet I still indulge in this sin more often than I'd like to admit.

This past week I spent too much time worrying. I worried about Joel and his ear infection. I worried about all the kids and Matt being sick. I worried I'd get sick and wouldn't be able to take care of the family. Then my friend called and asked me to pray for her sixteen year old granddaughter whose leukemia has returned. This girl and her mother will spend the better part of the next year in the hospital as they pursue aggressive chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. My Great Uncle Henry used to say, "If every one's problems were hanging on the line for all to see, everyone would pick their own."

Ever since we bought the van, we've been trying to sell the Suburban. We've had it advertised online, thinking we'd hit a broader audience that way. We've had calls on it, but only one person came to see it. After last month and all the the extra pressure on our budget due to Joel, we decided we'd have to redouble our efforts to get the truck sold. We lowered the price again and put it in the newspaper. We've had one call on it so far. So I began to worry (it's worked so well in the past, why not try it again). Then I read the blog of a woman for whom I've been praying for months. Her toddler has a mitochondrial defect from which he will most likely die. His medical needs cost $1000 per day. The other day, this woman's husband lost his job. He was an excellent and loyal employee, but he was downsized. He was given one month's pay and health insurance. This woman sees all of this as God's opportunity to manifest Himself mightily in her family. Wow.

"So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 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." Matt. 6:31-34