I had been working extra hard, and not taking care of myself. I know when I am wound too tight and I need to unwind. So I signed up for a retreat for some rest and renewal.
You see, I tend to worry. I worry about my “to do” list, my kids, about family finances. I worry about how we will get enough for money for The Village and how we can find more people, will people show up each Sunday morning, etc.
When I went on this retreat, I was trying to let go of that worry, and just rest in God. If you are a worrier like, that is really hard to do. But that is what a retreat is for, for a change of pace, and to slow down.
But guess what I tend to do! When I go on a retreat, with lots of unstructured time, I take a stack of good books, or I take my to do list with me. I wanted to do some writing that I never have time to do, while I was on the retreat. But on the first day, my spiritual director invited me. . . well, actually, she INSTRUCTED me, to do nothing. NOTHING. That includes not worrying about the stuff I left behind at home and work. It also means, not trying to read three books and start writing my book.
So I took a walk through the wild flower garden. I will confess I had my phone in my pocket, because I had just made a call home to the family. And when I saw these beautiful flowers I just had to stop and take a picture. I wanted to savor the moment. And I wanted something to remind me of the moment, when I got home.
Jesus was talking with some people once about worry (Matthew 6:25-33 from The Message for those following along on the web), and he gave the some advice. He said, “STOP, and take a look at the flowers in the field.” Some of those flowers will never be seen by a soul, and yet God creates them with such beauty, and God cares for them. Jesus said, “Can you trust that God cares for you too?” If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think God will attend to you, take pride in you, do God’s best for you? (Matthew 6:30)
You see sometimes, we just have to pick up our heads, and turn away from our worry, and see the beauty of God’s creation. Doing this reminds us, 1)of how tiny we are in the grand scheme of things – and that many of our worries are really not so big; 2) it connects us to God. Seeing the beauty of God’s creation fills us with wonder and awe, and we are reminded of God’s presence. We are reminded that we are not alone, God really wants to take care of us.
Jesus started this scripture with these words:If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.
To put it another way, he said, that if we have really given our lives to God, and put our trust in God FIRST, then we won’t worry so much . . . about ANYTHING.
It’s a matter of focus. Jesus said that one way to put things back in focus is this: take a walk and just observe the beauty of God’s creation, the flowers and the birds and how they fly carefree. God takes care of them and God will take care of you.
Now you don’t have to go on a retreat or several days to get reconnected with God. We can go on a short walk outside. We can sit in the comfort of our homes, turn off all the electronics, and breath. Perhaps light a candle and watch it flicker. Or look at pictures of something beautiful in God’s creation. We can take a mini retreat for 5 minutes in the middle of a work day, when we are stressed and overcome with worry. We can do this, because we have already decided that we want to put trust in God.
You may not think you have the deepest faith, but we go in our trust of God, through practice. Jesus explained: What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. (Mt 6:32). Or put another way, God’s blessing in your life.
In this encounter, Jesus focused on people’s worry about something basic, what they would eat. That can be a real concern for people, even right here in our city. But he also talked about something not nearly so necessary: the clothes we wear. Whew! If we want to talk about something where some of us have way more than we need, because we want the latest style, Jesus really speaks to us here. If I am worrying about money, I need only look in my closet to see where lots of my money went, for stuff that I bought but never wear.
But I think if Jesus were speaking to us today, he might talk about other sorts of worry. Because Jesus cares about us. Too much worry was a problem for followers of Jesus when he was alive and it’s still a problem today.
What do you worry about? - My to do list, money, success, health, children’s education was what was said in our worship celebration today. One study stated that two-thirds of all people worry about their finances, some worry more than others. “Only three per cent of those questioned said they never worried about money” (Source: YouGov poll for the Institute of Financial Planning (IFP) and National Savings and Investments (NS&I), http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1331699/Two-people-worry-money--dont-thing-it.html)
A Harvard Institute of Politics poll found that “many young Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 have worries about whether or not they can find a job once they are out of college or if they have a job, they worry that they will lose it.” A similar study conducted with young adults from London found that this population worried more about finances than even love or romance.” (source: http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/157571/125053/people-worry.)
As I scanned the internet for articles and postings about worry, I learned that quite a few people list fears for their children as their first worry. They are afraid their child will be kidnapped or have something terrible happen to them. As a parent, I will confess that I have had at least some passing worries of this type.
Senior citizens are not without their worries. One report lists the top concerns of this population which may include: loss of energy, loss of friends and/or spouse, illness, financial loss, and death as the major worries for those who are in their golden years. (ibid.)
All of this worry, serves no purpose, according to Jesus. It is just a waste of time and energy. Jesus tells his followers this: instead of focusing on what you do not have, think about how God has blessed you. “ Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.”
This is a great message for Thanksgiving week. Let’s give thanks for what we have. Even when some things are not going your way. Let’s find a sense of gratitude within ourselves. It’s amazing how the worry begins to fade away, when we focus on our gratitude.
Rev. Janet Hunt tells this story about a member of her congregation:
“It was a few years ago when I went to call on a member of our congregation. “She wasn’t in worship much --- it seemed that anxiety was part of her every day and it had intensified since her husband’s death several years before. We sat and talked a while that afternoon. I prayed with her. I don’t know whether it helped with her worries or not, but either way I still didn’t see her much after that.
“It was some time later when a call came saying she was in the emergency room. By the time I arrived they had determined she had a mass on her brain. Pretty soon she was sent by ambulance to another hospital where she would undergo surgery to attempt to remove the tumor.
“Not long after that I stopped in to visit her at a nearby rehabilitation facility. . . . When I walked into her room, she pulled herself to her feet, leaning on her walker. She spread out her arms in greeting and she said, struggling to speak, “Pastor! I’m not worried anymore! It’s all gone!”” (source: http://words.dancingwiththeword.com/2012/11/no-more-worries.html#comment-form.)
Who knows what happened to this woman. Was the tumor actually pressing on her brain in a way that exacerbated her anxiety? Or maybe it was the experience of coming through this life threatening health crisis that caused the woman to see her life in another perspective.
I would not wish a tumor on any of us. But I would wish us this woman’s sense of freedom from her worry.
What will it take for us to let go of our worry? I am a worrier too, so I am in this with you.
Jesus says, remember that you have already put your trust in God. And then relax. It’s that simple (and yes I know it does not feel simple). But it is. God provides for the wildflowers and the birds of the air, and God provides what we need too.
As we celebrate this week of giving thanks, I’m going to try to remember these words of Jesus and I hope you will too. Let’s not focus on our worry about we don’t have and what we have not accomplished. Let’s give thanks for all the ways that God has blessed us in our lives.
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