Do Not Worry, Do Not Worry, Do Not Worry

Last night Mike and I were talking about college tuition, grad school and weddings. Cha-ching, cha-ching! It gets overwhelming at times but then I look at what God has already done for us. I remember when Sarah was born I read that her college would cost about $140,000.00. The thought of us saving that much money scared me to death. And if you think it scared me, Mike was petrified. So what did we do? We did like most couples, we had another child! It seemed so far in the future that we did not think much about it but did start a savings plan for both of their colleges.

Like many of you experienced, the economy plummeted and our savings plan went out the window! I do not have a miraculous incident to tell you about. But I have seen miraculous things happen along the way that reminded us God is in charge! We do not have to worry!

These experiences are how we learn. The things that stop us in our tracks and seem bad to us. We don't tend to stop and examine pleasant things. While things did not go the way we planned we have not "wanted" for anything. We had everything we needed and were able to pay tuition and not owe anything. The money was not our security. God is our security!

Most of us agree that money is not evil but the love of money is evil. Jesus seems most concerned about what money is doing to us? Money can control us and it can dominate our lives which in turn turn our attention away from God. If you do not think money can dominate you, think about when money was the tightest and it came time to pay bills. There were times for us that we had to "rob Peter to pay Paul." Creative financing!

Matthew 6: 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 than food, and the body more than clothes? Look 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?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?  “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If 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—you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

If we will put God first in our life, He will take care of the rest. God told the people of Israel to do this in the Old Testament. The people were instructed to pursue God and his righteousness. When they did so God promised he would take care of them. He is telling us the same thing. We need to put our hope and trust in God for today and for whatever comes to us next. How many times have I worried about something for the next day and let it keep me up at night, etc. The next day comes and there was nothing to worry about. Maybe this is why God tells us to live in the moment!

As I type so often, "it all comes back to trust!" Psalm 56: 3, "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." God provides for our needs. Are you trusting God?