Today’s Readings: Psalm 124; Jeremiah 25:8-17; Luke 12:22-31; 1 Peter 2:4-10; Psalm 8
Featured Reading: Luke 12:22-31
When I was young, I was an extremely anxious child. It seemed as if I worried about everything. I worried about how others perceived me; I worried about living up to other people’s expectations; and I worried about what lay ahead of me in the future. You name it, and I worried about it. Because of my childhood angst, it wasn’t unusual for me to take an hour or two from the time I went to bed until the time I could finally fall asleep. In fact, that two hour time block at bedtime was pretty much the norm. Given my propensity to worry about any and everything, it was no wonder that I found myself on high blood pressure medicine by the time I was just 23! It was about that time that I started examining my life and asking myself, “How’s that worry thing working out for you?” The answer was, “Not so well.” It took me another couple of years, but eventually I was finally able to start worrying less. The key to my decision to let go of my worrying had to do with an emerging sense of perspective I gained on life. I began to ask myself questions like the one Jesus raised in today’s passage from Luke – “Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch?” (Luke 12:25 from The Message). The obvious answer was no. Once I realized that, it became easier and easier for me to quit worrying (or - to be honest - cut significantly back on it). Perhaps you've been in a place like I was - regularly consumed with worry about things totally beyond your control. If so, I would invite you to revisit Jesus' words from today's Gospel reading so that you too can "relax, and [not] be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God's giving" (Luke 12 :29 from The Message). Til next time...
Featured Reading: Luke 12:22-31
When I was young, I was an extremely anxious child. It seemed as if I worried about everything. I worried about how others perceived me; I worried about living up to other people’s expectations; and I worried about what lay ahead of me in the future. You name it, and I worried about it. Because of my childhood angst, it wasn’t unusual for me to take an hour or two from the time I went to bed until the time I could finally fall asleep. In fact, that two hour time block at bedtime was pretty much the norm. Given my propensity to worry about any and everything, it was no wonder that I found myself on high blood pressure medicine by the time I was just 23! It was about that time that I started examining my life and asking myself, “How’s that worry thing working out for you?” The answer was, “Not so well.” It took me another couple of years, but eventually I was finally able to start worrying less. The key to my decision to let go of my worrying had to do with an emerging sense of perspective I gained on life. I began to ask myself questions like the one Jesus raised in today’s passage from Luke – “Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch?” (Luke 12:25 from The Message). The obvious answer was no. Once I realized that, it became easier and easier for me to quit worrying (or - to be honest - cut significantly back on it). Perhaps you've been in a place like I was - regularly consumed with worry about things totally beyond your control. If so, I would invite you to revisit Jesus' words from today's Gospel reading so that you too can "relax, and [not] be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God's giving" (Luke 12 :29 from The Message). Til next time...
1 comment:
Brother Craig: wonderful to see you! How appropriate is your posting for this day given our conversation? An awesome "God thing" for sure! I read each of these verses and they are really powerful, they touched me today. Thank you for this blog, for your time, wisdom, and especially for your friendship. Peace.
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