The problem with worrying is that it is based hugely on theory. What if …? In our next verse Jesus asks a rhetorical question, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6 v 27) I smile when I read the Message, “Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch?”
Anyone wanting to get taller? If you have reached the age of 18yrs it is highly unlikely you will grow anymore. That’s it! The rest of your life you will be the same height and it matters not how much you worry about it.
So what about extending your life? It is interesting that if you were born in 1841 you could expect to live for only 40.2 years but now in 2021 as a male you can expect to live 79 years with approximately 16 of those years not in good health and 83 years if you are female with 19 years not in good shape. (kingsfund.org,uk)
So obviously either our world has got better and so we live longer or since 1841 we have done a lot of worrying and our answer to Jesus question is YES!
Jesus is not advocating a care-free, careless life. But he is saying anxiety will not change anything that cannot be changed.
So write down what you KNOW. Write down what is certain and what you can control and what is not certain and uncontrollable.
Living through the pandemic has created new anxieties. Anyone of us can catch the virus but we also know there are measures we choose to take which minimises that risk. We don’t have to be overwhelmed with anxiety we can take back control.
We may not control what other people do or say but we can control how we will respond to their actions and statements.
We may not control what people think about us but we can control whether we will be kind to them.
Similarly, we may not be able to add a single hour to our life but we can choose to do some exercise and eat better.
Writing down what you KNOW helps when these anxious thoughts strike sometimes over the same theoretical situation because you can turn to what you have written and reinforce what you have decided on and take back some control.
Missions Paul 