by Glyn Harries – Senior Schools Worker

Here is something Jesus said:

“I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink...Who of you, by worrying, can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:25&27)

Jesus said that. And the good Christian in me (as in the part of me that enjoys quiche, avoids confrontation, and can worship with reckless abandon to Bringing in the Sheaves) feels that I should unreservedly and unquestionably accept it. Jesus said it. Therefore stop worrying. Don’t worry about a thing. Chill. The heck. Out ... man. But then there is the other part of me. The part of me that challenges authority, suggests Pizza instead of quiche and wears a hat on a Sunday just because I know it winds people up. This is the part of me that sometimes gets carried away and convinces me that I have the right to question the teachings and wisdom of Jesus.

The truth is I’m just not entirely sure that I get it. “Who of you, by worrying, can add a single hour to his life?” Well if what you are worried about is making sure you have enough to “eat or drink” well I reckon you could probably add quite a few more hours to your life. And what about exams? Aren’t you supposed to worry about your exams? Aren’t you supposed to worry about your future? Surely Jesus isn’t suggesting that we kick back whilst God provides us with grades, qualifications and careers that we will never have to work for.

Short answer: No.

Long answer: Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo and here’s why.

My problem (well, one of them at least) is not my understanding of the passage but my understanding of the word “worry” and the way that Jesus uses it. You see my experience of people who use phrases such as “don’t worry”, “what are you worrying about” and “you worry too much...dude” encourages me to imagine Jesus alongside some of my university acquaintances drowning in smoke and desperately thumbing through the yellow pages looking for anywhere that will deliver a kebab at 3 o’clock in the morning while they attempt to convince each other that nobody really needs eyelids. Very often, in this day and age, when we tell someone not to worry about something, we are encouraging them to not think about it. When my little sister tells me not to worry about the £60 she owes me she is reassuring me that she has it in hand. She’s dealing with it. I don’t have to do anything about it. I don’t have to chase her up. It’s being dealt with. In fact I can probably just forget about it altogether.

However, when Jesus talks about worry he isn’t telling us to stop caring or to stop working towards something important. He is telling us to be at peace in the knowledge that God is with us and wants to look after us. 10 years ago when I was doing my GCSEs Jesus told me to stop worrying. But he wasn’t talking to the part of me that was studying five years worth of French exercise books, trying to remember how to ask for two train tickets to Calais from platform 5. He was talking to the part of me that couldn’t sleep at night because every time I lay down I felt physically sick. The part of me that started panicking and hyperventilating during my English Literature exam. The part of me that focussed on completely illogical and irrational fears. In fact it was the stuff that ended up distracting me from what was important. You see, as much as I would like to think that I could hold my own in a battle of wits against the man, Jesus was actually exceedingly wise (believe it or not). When he tells us not to worry it isn’t because worry makes us work too hard or care too much. Quite the opposite. Worry is a massive distraction. It shifts the focus from what is important and prevents us from dealing with the very things we’re so worried about in the first place. So let us not worry. In the midst of all our hard work, exams and plans for the future let us be aware that God works for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28).

And what do we do without this deceptive comfort blanket of worry? I’ll let Paul answer that in his letter to the Philippians:

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank him for his answers." (Philippians 4:6 Living Bible)

15.06.2009