Overheard in an Orchard

“Said the Robin to the Sparrow,
‘I should really like to know
Why these anxious human beings
Rush around and worry so.’

Said the Sparrow to the Robin,
‘Friend, I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father
Such as cares for you and me.’” -Elizabeth Cheney

Imagine Jesus sitting on a boulder with a crowd gathered around. Understanding their plight and anxiety He begins to teach them:
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? (Matthew 6: 25 – 27)

Now look in a mirror. Looking back at you is a person to whom His words apply. Let this phrase resonate in your mind, “…do not worry about your life…”

In essence invest your heart in heaven and the dividends resulting will be quiet enough to provide for you.

A Worth/Roper Survey last year found that among the things that produce anxiety in Americans are the following: making a wrong choice with major investments; having major dental work or surgery; being audited by IRS; speaking in public; being outdoors alone at night; getting fat; being pulled over for speeding; seeing one’s spouse flirt; doing your own taxes; being caught in a lie by a close friend; having a credit card declined in public; and using a computer. Want to add your own list to those?

Jesus’ promises and provisions are stamped on that list “Invalid Worry.”

Sure, some bad things will happen to you like they do to everyone. Having problems and challenges does not make you stand out from others.  Everyone does. Everyone.

Unfortunately not everyone has Jesus as their helpful Lord. If you do that makes you stand out. How you respond to your needs enables you to bear witness to the sufficiency of Jesus. This is especially true if you give Him credit for His blessings.

The word “worry” is from the Greek word “merimnao,” which means: “to be anxious about, to worry, be concerned for.” Jesus said don’t do it.

Jesus said, “Do not worry” – this is a present imperative with the negative, a command forbidding worry. It is a command. 

It was left to one who had a plethora of needs to tell us what to do about them. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God….” (Philippians 4:6) Do it!

Think about the conversation between the Robin and the Sparrow.