Thoughts for the Day

‘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. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? ..... Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

(Church in Wales Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Have you woken in the night and found yourself worrying over something completely silly? It stops you sleeping, but your rarely get up and do anything about it, but instead allow it to disturb most of the night? Well, I guess we all have at some time or other. On the other hand are you a natural worrier, and spend a lot of time being very concerned about all kinds of things? If so, Jesus says "Today's trouble is enough for today". In other words worrying only gives us stress and possibly an early heart attack, it doesn't get rid of the problem we're worrying about.

Perhaps we can all try out this exercise when we're worried - it's based on the word 'Apple':

A: Accept the worrying thought as it comes into your head, but don't panic.

P: Pick up the thought in your imagination as though it were a parcel.

P: Pass it on to God asking for His help.

L: Leave the worry with God.

E: Explore today and enjoy it.

Somehow when you involve God in your problem, things change.

Lord Jesus,
You taught Your disciples
that worrying was a pointless exercise,
and that we should give our minds to higher things.
But You know our frailty
and how we worry about increasing bills;
or about our health or that of others.
Help us to realise that worry achieves little
and that we should turn to You,
for You know what is best for us.
Amen.