Control Freak
Read: Matthew 6:25-30
“Don’t worry. Be happy!” If only it were that easy! It would be so nice if we could flip a switch and move from worry and anxiety to carefree bliss. Life would be so simple. Sometimes I read Jesus’ words on worry in Matthew 6 with frustration, “‘Do not worry about my life’? Sure, Jesus, easy for you to say!”
Despite the section header in most Bibles titled, “Do Not Worry,” this passage is ultimately less about worry and more about control and trust. The lilies of the field and the birds of the air do not have the capacity to worry because they do not have control over what they wear or where they go or what they eat. Instead, they are controlled by forces beyond their control: the wind and the rain and the sun in the case of the lilies, and their natural instincts and migration patterns for the birds of the air. By necessity, they have given over control and trust to a Greater Force, and are released from the same cares, worries, and fears that often plague us.
Maybe you are a control freak like me. It can be hard to give up control and put our trust in Someone else. Yet, when we put our trust in God, we can be released from many of our worries and fears. This is not a fatalistic or deterministic view; instead, it is an invitation that we can fully trust that the same God who cares for each tiny flower and every single bird cares deeply for us as well.