Are you a worrier too?

By Sarah Teichmann

‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? Matthew 6:25-27

I always struggled with the Matthew 6:25-27 passage about worry. It feels that from the age of three on I was a worrier. I would worry about my family, worry about my safety, and worry about the world around me. I would like to say that with age and maturity my inclination to worry has subsided, but in truth it has not. Often maturity and responsibility are paired with their stomach turning mate of worry.

In the midst of news about economic troubles and uncertainties and the seemingly unending bombardment of bad news—there is a solid sense of worry. It is quite normal to worry. It is also important to remember that during these times of worry we are not alone—God is with us. Yes we worry, but it is not the end result. We are called to turn our worry over to God who knows our hearts, our minds, and our worries. When I feel worry creeping from the dark shadows and clouding hope, I find myself turning to Psalm 139.

O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Psalm 139:1-5.

God knows us through and through—knows our strengths and weaknesses, our worries and triumphs. In all that we think, all that we feel, and how we act—God is there. When life’s worries grow we may find comfort in a God who hems us in, who is with us, and who comforts us.

I pray that this day may be filled with hope and light in your life. God is with us and loves us.