Do Not Worry

I come from a long line of worrywarts. I am third generation, at the very least. My mother and grandmother passed this affliction down to me. I sometimes get wrapped up in trying to micromanage all aspects of my life, my hubby’s life, my mother’s life, etc, because I’m worried about what MIGHT happen. (As if worrying will stop a bad thing from happening.) Every now and then, Jesus jabs me in the side and reminds me to read about when he said “Do Not Worry”.

I know you think I’m nuts, but when I’m praying, Bible passages will jump into my head. Now, I don’t know for sure if Jesus is giving them to me, or if I am doing it subconsciously. But, how I figure it is “When in Doubt, Thank God”. So, when I get a Bible passage jump into my head during a prayer, whether it is my subconscious or Jesus’ recommendation to help answer my problems, I read it.

Today, just before I starting writing this blog entry, it happened again. I was praying, then reading the Bible, and this verse jumped into my head. Apparently, I am really hard-headed and need to read this many more times to make it a part of me. Every time I read it, it is like I am reading it for the first time. So, for the gazillionth time, I’m going to read this again. And I thought while I was at it, I would share it with you.

This is part of what Jesus said during his “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 6:25-34:

²⁵“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 important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

²⁸“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (NIV)

So, hopefully, for the next few days, I will remember to “Seek first His Kingdom” instead of worrying…. Wish me luck…

By the way, I’ve copied the text above from BibleGateway.com. It has the whole Bible, many different versions of it, online. It is very, very handy and has lots of neat stuff like searches that help a bunch.

Incidentally, I use the “New International Version” (NIV) translation of the Bible. I didn’t start to read the Bible until I was in my early forties. (see My Christian Testimony: How I Came to Believe in God) Since I was not brought up reading all the thee’s and thou’s, the King James Version of the Bible made no sense to me. So, my boyfriend, who is now my hubby, gave me a copy of the New International Version of the Bible. It is a newer translation, made in 1973, in modern English.

The NIV was translated from the earliest manuscripts possible, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, which had not been found yet when the King James Bible was translated in 1611. Plus, there is no need to call God thee and thou. These pronouns were used for everybody in 1611 England, and there is nothing disrespectful towards God in using modern pronouns. (In my humble opinion)