There seems to be so much turmoil in the world right now.  The Covid-19 pandemic has caused horrible death tolls worldwide.  Efforts to curb the virus’ spread with quarantines and social distancing have cost many their livelihoods and any sense of normalcy.  Political wrangling seems to be getting worse and worse.  I could go on.  Why shouldn’t we worry?

Jesus asked the same question:  Why worry?  Will it add even an hour to our lives (Matthew 6:7)?  English filmmaker and founder of the Religious Film Society, J. Arthur Rank, took these words of Jesus to heart.  He determined to limit his worrying to Wednesdays and built a “Wednesday Worry Box.”  Whenever something caused him anxiety or annoyed his ulcer, Rank jotted the worry down on a piece of paper and dropped the problem in his box.  Then he forgot about it.  The next Wednesday, he pulled out all his worry notes and discovered an incredible truth.  Less than a third of his worries remained.  All the other items had resolved themselves!

Philosopher Michel de Montaigne once said, “My life has been full of terrible misfortunes, most of which never happened.”  A friend of mine says it in another way, “Worry is interest paid on a loan that you don’t owe.”  Worry causes health problems.  It causes family issues.  It robs us of our peace.  Why worry?

When I analyze my worries, I find they are often because I jump ahead and guess the outcome.  I build scenarios.  I worry about problems that may never come.  In short, I am not patient enough to give God the chance to work out my worries or to offer me a new perspective.

The Bible tells us that the God of the Universe is always working to turn bad things to good  (Romans 8:28).  It tells us that His plans are not to harm us but to give us hope (Jeremiah 29:11).  It tells us that with God’s help, we can overcome any problem (Philippians 4:13).  If we believe in these promises from God, then the question begs to be repeated:  Why worry?

Are you worried about something?  I invite you to start your own Worry Wednesday Box.  Perhaps you, too, will find that most of your worries are gone by the time Wednesday rolls around.  In the process, you may also discover that you can trust God.  You may discover your faith is growing.  Most importantly, you can begin to live for today rather than for a future that may or may not happen.  Let not your heart be troubled (John 14:1).  Be at peace, knowing that Jesus promises if we just seek God’s kingdom and righteousness, He will take care of us.

May God richly bless you today.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.  (Matthew 6:25-34)