Worry Wart

I don’t know about you, but I sure can be a worry wart sometimes. You may have noticed it’s not very fun to be around someone who worries a lot. You can easily look at their story from the outside and see it all working out, wondering why they are stressing the small stuff so much. But being the one going through the stressful thing? That’s a completely different story.

Jesus talks to us about worry because He knows it’s part of our human condition. He tells us not to worry about our clothes, or our food—or any other need. His words about this are incredibly comforting:

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Matthew 6:31-34 NLT

Looking ahead and planning for the future is wise, but looking ahead and worrying about every little detail is where it becomes a problem. Did you know that a Penn State University study shows that roughly 85 to 91 percent of our worse-case worries never come true? When we focus on what could go wrong—things that most likely will never happen—it robs us of enjoying the present moment.

God knows every need we have. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6 to look at the birds and notice how all their needs are met. I love watching the birds in my yard and thinking about this. They always look so cute with their chubby round bodies, and they sing beautiful, happy songs all day long. Birds come and go so quickly, and Jesus reminds us that if he cares for all of their needs, of course he will do the same for us.

Is there anything worrying your heart today? Take a moment to pause, surrender your worries to God, and enjoy the good things happening in the present moment today.