September 24

Today’s Reading: Psalm 49 & 39; Hosea 4:1-10; Luke 12: 13-31; Revelation 22:8-15

What a comfort today’s words from Luke were for me – especially the passage from Luke 12:22-31. These words were helpful since they addressed one of the biggest challenges I face in my spiritual life: my tendency to worry. This is the passage that contains those timeless words: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing…” The more I sit with Jesus’ words in Luke, the more I realize my tendency to worry is directly related to my need for control. The more I desire control, the more I worry; the less I desire control, the less I worry. Sounds simple enough, right? But then I head back out into the “real world” and get immediately sucked back into my familiar patterns and the worry pops up once again. Perhaps the greatest antidote for worry is prescribed by Jesus in his closing words from today’s passage. Here Jesus recognizes our very human need to replace those things we have surrendered. So if I surrender my tendency to worry, what will take its place? “Instead, strive for [God’s] kingdom” (Luke 12:31). Sounds good to me. Today I invite you and I to consider the ways we might redirect the energy we might have previously spent worrying and instead invest that time and energy striving for the realization of God’s kingdom. In our world… In our hearts… Til next time…