Even the Sparrow Knows

If He can hold the world, 

He can hold this moment
Not a field or flower 
escapes His notice.
Oh even the sparrow
Knows He holds tomorrow. 

-Sparrows by Jason Gray 

           

Anxious.  I guess that’s the best way to describe what I am feeling right now.  I’ve been watching and reading about the things happening in this world, and it has me a bit worried.  Maybe you feel it too.  After all, we have been told, repeatedly, that the 2016 election is very crucial.  If the wrong person is elected President of the Unites States, life will go terribly wrong.  So, who wouldn’t worry?  What happens if the other candidate wins?  We’ve been told that if they do, life will fall apart; life will become much more challenging.

And what about the cost of Health Care in this country.  Anyone who participates in the Government’s Affordable Health Care program knows that it is anything but affordable.  Only after a few short years, the program is in a death spiral; costs are rising beyond anyone’s ability to pay.  How will I pay my heath care premiums?  What happens when I can no longer afford this?

Do you know what kind of worry I’m talking about?  Have you felt it as well?  There are health concerns and broken relationships to worry about.  Perhaps your anxiety is related to job security or even lack of a job.  I know some who worry about their next meal.  I’ve met people who have slept in their car or in a tent because they had no place to live.  You can be sure they had much to worry about.

Yeah, I know I tend to worry about things.  I shouldn’t, but I do anyway.  I know that fear is simply faith in the wrong things, but something seems to draw my focus on all that could go wrong.  I let my mind wander down the frightful path of “what if,” and find myself becoming anxious.

During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addresses this tendency to become anxious.  He asks, “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?”  He wonders why we fret about food and clothing and things that moth and rust will destroy.  He wonders why we have so little faith (Matthew 6:30).  And then Jesus points out that this kind of worrying dominates the thoughts of unbelievers (verse 32).  Ouch.

He’s right, you know.  The World does not have the same relationship with God that we do.  As the Church – the Bride of Christ – we know God.  We know about His love and grace … that all good things come from Him.  So, if we know these things, why do we forget these things?  Why are we swept away by fear and worry like some unbeliever?  Jesus says it because we fix our minds on the wrong things.

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33).  The World will be the world.  The world will continue to fret and worry about things that may never happen.  However, Christians know what will happen.  And what will happen is that the Father will provide.  You see, Jesus says Our Heavenly Father already knows all our needs.  He provides for the flowers; He cares for the sparrow.  He will provide for you and me because we are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows (Matthew 10:31).  The cure for our (my) anxiety is to focus on living a righteous life that honors God … to think about and seek His Kingdom above all else. 

The hard truth is that I’ve become anxious lately because I have allowed the worries of the world to dominate my thoughts.  I haven’t been thinking about the Kingdom of God nearly enough.  I’ve been looking at the things of this world and worrying about how I can control them or fix them.  But I can’t.  I can’t fix the things that are out of my control.  I can, however, place my faith in the One who can.