Worry: A Mind Divided

"Why worry when you can pray? Trust Jesus, He'll be your stay. Don't be a doubting Thomas, rest fully on His promise. Why worry, worry, worry, worry when you can pray?"

It's an old chorus we learned in Sunday school. The words are easy to recall; the message is, perhaps, a little more difficult. In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus talks about worry. He directs our attention to nature -- the birds and the flowers of the field. The Father provides precisely what they need. How much more will He provide for those made in His image? 

Worry is fruitless. Jesus says, "Which of you by worrying, can add one cubit to his stature?" (v. 27) Worrying accomplishes nothing of value. It does, however, waste time and energy best spent elsewhere. What about praying instead of worrying? What about simply going for a walk? Or getting some rest instead of lying there in the dark imagining all sorts of things? Worry can lead to health problems other than insomnia, it can cause stress-related disorders: weight fluctuations, ulcers, hair loss, skin problems. Maybe worry is not entirely fruitless, but who wants rotten fruit? Worry denies the ability of God to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think. In fact, worry demands an immediate solution absent of God. Worry refuses to stop unless it receives an answer. There is no trust in God or rest in His timing. 

The word translated worry in Matthew's passage is "merimnao." It is said to be a combination of two words: "merizo" which means to divide, and "nous" which refers to the mind. Think about that for a moment. A divided mind. Sounds like worry, doesn't it? What will you do if you don't get the job? Was she really serious about a divorce? What if the cancer comes back? You can't shut your mind off. One thought coming right after the next. You start to sweat and your heart races. Dread, regret, fear. And your common sense is telling everyone to just stop it already! "Trust," it says, but there's a struggle, a division. 

What happens when wood or cloth begins to split? It keeps splitting, doesn't it? Worry does the same thing with us. Unless something or someone wraps itself around all of those fraying ends, pulling them together, and holding them tightly in place, we will come unglued. 

Colossians 3:12-17 says:

"Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

Love is the bond of perfection. Our love for God, our trust in Him, and our complete surrender to His will are what keeps up from division. If we are practicing the imitation of Christ, our relationships with others will improve; drama and turmoil will be lessened and we can know we have approached every situation to the best of our ability in Christ Jesus. Those things that occur completely outside of our control -- health issues, layoffs, tragedy? The peace of God rules and reigns in our hearts, we have a support system in other believers, and above all, we are grateful. Whatever befalls us, love, the bond of perfection will keep our minds stayed on Jesus and we can remain wholly at rest.