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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion Sunday, August 10, 2003 "Where is Your Focus?" |
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Frontline Devotion for Sunday, August 10, 2003 By Anne B. Crawford
Text for the Day: Matthew 6:25-7:14
There’s a great scene in the musical “Godspell” where Jesus tells his followers not to ask what they will eat or drink and sure enough, as soon as he’s given them this advice, one of them asks plaintively, “But what are we going to eat?” The whole ensemble turns on this hapless fellow and cries in unison “Don’t ask that!”
I identify with the fellow who asked the question. I am a practiced worrier. But in my head, I associate worrying with being prepared and so I tried as hard as I could to justify my worrying in light of today’s reading.
But Jesus’ words continue to challenge me. Surely someone (me) has to worry about daily needs and making sure they’re met (if I’m hungry and there’s no food in the house, I need to make a trip to the grocery store). That’s productive worrying – isn’t it?
Isn’t worrying part of identifying a problem and seeking a solution? O.K. – maybe what I need to do is check my definition of worrying. The dictionary defines worry as “to feel uneasy or concerned about something; be troubled. See synonyms at brood.” No surprises there.
But there is a surprise, or at least the glimmer of a personal revelation, in Jesus words. The admonition “don’t worry” is followed by the instruction “seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness.” I am slowly beginning to see that “don’t worry” is a reminder that my focus is wrong. It starts me off on the wrong foot, with the assumption that it’s all about me – I’m in charge, I’m in control, I have to figure it all out and make it work or be alright. What happens to God when I worry is that he is out of the picture and I end up miserable or frantic or both.
But – and I’m full of objections and questions today – if I accept Jesus’ call not to worry, does that mean I just sit back and expect God to “do it all” for me? No (sigh – now I’m back to worrying again). I know that’s not right. That brings me back to the issue of focus. If I am to understand Jesus’ words in context, I need to understand and internalize what it really means to keep God in focus. I need to turn to God first, as both source and resource, and not dwell (i.e., worry) on what I can or can’t do alone, and let God work in my life so that my needs, both spiritual and physical, are met.
Great words – but I’m ‘worried’ about how to really put them into practice. Are Jesus’ words a challenge to you too?
Let us pray: God, you ask us to make you our focus, and not to get caught up in daily worrying. Help us to let go of the worrying that puts our concerns ahead of your Grace. Amen.
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