Giving up worry for Lent

“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 clothing?  Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?  Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin.  But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them.  If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.”  Matthew 6:25-34

I am constantly amazed at the awe inspiring creations God has made. I love to be out in nature. When I look up at the sky at night, or at the birds in the trees outside my bedroom window, I can stare for a long time with wonder at the beauty. Sometimes though, after watching the news, it is humankind that makes me depressed. But then, I will come across something, something that causes me to look at a human being with the same awe and wonder that I can look at the other things in nature and see.

The other day a my friend, sent me this link.  It is a short clip, and the woman, Kelly McGonigal, is not talking about God. But boy, do I see God’s handiwork in what she is saying.  For years we all thought stress was bad for us. But this new study turns that idea on its head. It turns out that it is how we view stress that can make us sick. And by viewing stress as a positive thing, we can actually make our hearts healthier. She goes on to say that if you help other people you are supporting your cardiovascular system. I was dumbfounded. When we help other people we make our own hearts healthier. If you don’t see God’s handwriting all over that, I don’t know what would make you see it.

I immediately thought of the verse above, the one from Matthew that tells us not to worry.  He really is holding us in the palm of his hand!   He takes care of the birds and they have no plan, yet how much more important are we?  You see, He really did design you in His image and likeness.  Worry is a negative way of viewing stress, but when we change that to a positive, everything changes. When we trust God, and when we do what is imprinted by Him into our hearts, help and love others, we are glorifying this human body that He gave us, making ourselves physically healthier.

I think this Lent I am going to do something that my neighbor Mitzi told me she did. I am going to give up worry. Before you laugh out loud, Mitzi gave me a plan. She told me for every anxious thought I have, I should stop and say, “what can I control in this situation?”  And if there is something I can do, then I should do it  But if there is not anything I can do, I should offer that worry or anxiety to God and let it go. Mitzi did it for Lent a couple of years back. She said it was the hardest thing she had ever done. I believe her. But as I have stated before, God keeps asking me, “Do you trust me or not?”  And every day, I want my answer to be, “YES”!  I can’t think of a better way to do that then to give up worry for Lent.  Pray for me ya’ll. I know this will be hard. But I believe my spirit, and my physical heart will be healthier for it.  And I believe this is what God has always intended for us.