June, 2001

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes.” Luke 12:22-23

Jesus told a story about a certain rich man who was quite well off. He made plans to move to a bigger and better mansion in order to hold all his possessions. Then, he made plans to enjoy life from his prosperity. All is well, except he thought it would bring “rest” to his soul. When a person thought all he had to live for was his possessions, he would miss taking care of his soul.

Immediately after telling this story to the people, Jesus turned around to teach the disciples an in-depth lesson on priority. “Therefore” is a conjunction, connecting together the story and the teaching. Since life is more than possessions, therefore, we don’t “worry” about the less important things in life. In verse 22 and v. 29, Jesus said “Do not worry about your life” and “Do not worry about it (what to eat and drink).” He used two different Greek words to remind us—anxious and worrying. Anxious means, “to be divided, distracted.” Worrying means, “to be tossed like a ship at sea . . . to be in doubt.” To worry or to be anxious usually comes in this two phases: we look at a situation, which distracts us from our priority; and from it, grows doubt and bewilderment, causing our mind to be tossed around about the future, like a boat in a raging sea.

Why shouldn’t we worry? First, let’s look at what people usually worry about. They worry about what to eat and what to wear. Today, many worry about the kind of car they drive, the number of square footage of their home, whether the clothes they put on are fashionable or not, and things like that. Are these things evil? Absolutely not! It also doesn’t mean we should neglect our jobs and simply wait for God to provide. But if we are obsessed to a point that it distracts us from pursuing the right priority of life, then it is wrong. We shouldn’t worry because we learn to trust God to provide what we need—our clothing and our food. Second, even if we worry, it doesn’t change a thing. We can’t change the weather, the passing of time, people’s actions and reactions, the stock-market, and things like that. Worrying only gives the worrier ulcer, gray hairs, and irritability. Jesus is teaching us to take our minds off from what it takes to live, and LIVE, with content and thankfulness. We are already a lot better off than many people. Don’t let the things of the world distract you from seeing God and His grace.