“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life…Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”–Matthew 6:25a, 26

 

Have you ever heard the tale of the Worry Monster? At first glance, you may laugh at the thought. “Worry Monster”, you say, “There is no such thing.” Monsters are the things of children’s fables. Like the fear of boogeymen hiding under the bed or in a closet, we are too sophisticated to be affected by such nonsense.  

Ah, but look again and you will see a very real force that is wreaking havoc in lives all across our land. It comes to you in the night so that you cannot sleep. It reminds you of all the burdens that await you each day. It is the master of weighing us down with one care after another until we are taken its captive.  

We buy guns; invest in hi-tech security, spend millions in healthcare and self-help products. We make all of our lives about it. Survival and safety of self becomes our number one objective. Worry tells us there is nothing we can do for others. Love is far too risky. Faith is a collapse waiting to happen the one foolish enough to believe in what does not come with a money-back guarantee.  

The Worry Monster shapes our religion. It promises a God that is only capable of a limited amount of care, a God who doesn’t have time for your small life. Therefore, it is on us to master life. Our food, clothes, life must be of our making and take center stage. Worry knows that one false move will end in destruction. There are no second chances. “Faith” is more about guilt and shame than love, grace, and forgiveness.  

The Worry Monster offers its alternatives to risky faith. It offers us love that is about self. If we are in relationships that are shallow we will get what we want without failure of rejection. It offers us security in the form of money and makes us a slave.  

​So finally, we give in to the demands of the Worry Monster. We give up the dreams of joy and freedom in Christ for the safe shackles of worry. We hang on to it like an old chair that is beyond repair and needing to be forsaken, but we are comfortable with it. They are our worries. We know them well. Even though they leave our lives dark and bleak, they are ours after all.

WORRY GROUNDS OUR FAITH. The impossible remains just that, impossible. Faith, Hope, and Love are far to risky for those ruled by worry. The faith that “soars on wings as eagles” is grounded for fear of crashing. THE LOVE OF GOD FREES US FROM WORRY. John tells us, “Perfect love casts out fear” (1Jn. 4:18). Faith in God allows us to soar and sing! God remembers the life of a sparrow. They are each created by him and none are insignificant. How much more your life?