Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. - Luke 12:22
While we
wouldn't want to argue with Jesus, we may sometimes wonder if His words about worry are
realistic (Luke 12:22). After all, shouldn't we be concerned about tomorrow? Suppose we
get laid off from work? Get sick? Isn't fear that we won't have bread and threads and
shelter one of the strongest fears we have?
No words in any language can produce more anxiety than the question, "What if?"
As we mutter them, we begin to imagine one bad possibility, then another, and then both
bad possibilities together. We don't think about the fact that our needs have always been
met in the past and that we have enough for today. There is always that uneasy dread that
tomorrow our well may run dry.
While it is certainly wise to plan for the future, the imagined thirst of tomorrow, even
though our well is full today, is one thirst that is unquenchable. Jesus taught that
worrying about the future is futile. We shouldn't be traumatized by what might happen or
by what might be required of us. The imaginary need of tomorrow is one need that God
cannot meet.
If God has given us food and drink enough for today, why not let Him worry about our
tomorrows?
-HWR
Each day we learn from yesterday
Of God's great love and care;
And every burden we must face
He'll surely help us bear.
-D.
De Haan
Worry is interest paid on trouble before it comes due.