Wellbeing

Luke 12:25-26 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?

While touring Italy, a man visited a cathedral that had been completed on the outside only. Once inside, the traveler afound an artist kneeling before an enormous wall upon which he had just begun to create a mosaic. On some tables nearby were thousands of pieces of coloured ceramic. Curious, the visitor asked the artist how he would ever finish such a large project. The artist answered that he knew how much he could accomplish in one day. Each morning, he marked off an area to be completed that day and didn't worry about what remained outside that space. That was the best he could do; and if he faithfully did his best, one day the mosaic would be finished.

Worry and prayer are both forms of meditation. When you pray, you are focusing on God. When you worry, you are focusing on something else. The answer to anxiety, although easier to say than practice, is to replace it with trust. Jesus told us not to worry about tomorrow.

Speaking about material things, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “Goods are given to us to be used, but not to be stored away. Just as Israel in the desert received manna daily from God and did not have to worry about food and drink, and just as the manna which was stored from one day for another rotted, so should Jesus’ disciples receive their share daily from God.”

There are so many messages all around me telling me about what I should wear, what I should eat. Jesus reminds me that I am more than a consumer. My identity lies in my relationship with God who loves me and caused me to trust.

Lord, free me from needless worries and help me to put my trust in you.  Make my first concern your kingdom and your righteousness.  Help me to live each day with trust and gratitude for your providential care for me. Amen