Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear....Do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today. [Matt 6:25, 34, NRSV]
This is the advice Jesus gives us in today's reading. If we look at the context carefully [vs. 24-34] we will notice that the word "worry" appears six times in the span of eleven verses Apparently Jesus is trying to tell us something and the message is loud and clear. It can be summed up in the words of an old Bobby McFerrin song from the 1980's "Don't worry. Be happy." The song drove me nuts then! It still drives me nuts today!
"Don't worry. Be happy?" Isn't that a bit unrealistic? Isn't that simply looking at the world through rose colored glasses? How do we do this? After all, there is much to worry about in our complicated and mixed up world: We worry about global climate changes. We worry about the war with Afghanistan and Iraq. We worry about our finances. We worry about our health. LGBT people worry about job security, legal protection for our partners, becoming the victim of a hate crime....and the list goes on. Don't worry. Be happy? It seems like a tall order to fill. and yet, this is the message of Matthew 6.
Perhaps Jesus is telling us that the key to leading a less worrisome life is to have faith in a God who not only cares for wild birds and wild flowers but who cares for God's "wild" children as well. Cyndi Lauper, a staunch LGBT rights advocate and general all around diva, once put it this way: "God loves all the flowers, even the wild ones which grow on the side of the road."
Amen, sister! Can we have the faith that God cares passionately about us, God's queer children? Can we have the faith that God will provide for or basic needs so that we can focus on the justice and healing work God has called us to do?
Good As New: A Radical Retelling of the Scriptures translates this verses 33-34 with striking clarity: "Center your minds on God's New World. Use your energy to create a just and fair society. Then you can live it up! Don't fret about the future. It's pointless to worry about things before they happen. Live one day at a time."
Sounds like good advice to me!
1 comments:
"God loves all the flowers, even the wild ones which grow on the side of the road."
That's terrific. As a lifelong "roadside flower," I can attest to the joy that comes from letting go worries about who we are, where we are, and what others think. God made us. He put us here. He loves us. if we're certain of that, there's nothing to fear.
Thanks for this!
Blessings always.
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