Matthew 6:24-34

Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' (Matthew 6:31)

Don’t worry? In spite of Jesus’ insistence that we need not worry, we still do. We worry about our kids as they trip and fall both literally and figuratively. We worry about work. We worry about aging parents. We worry about world events. As we worry, strange, outlandish scenarios get played out in our minds and our gut gets tied up in knots.

Worry is a particular reaction to the unknown. It‘s a reminder that we have no control. In addition to creating all sorts of stress and ulcers and such, worry causes us to seek control in unhealthy ways. Consider the “helicopter parent” phenomenon. These parents hover overhead and pay extremely close attention to their child's experiences and problems in school and in life. The NSA has got nothing on a helicopter mom or dad. 

I want you to notice how Jesus begins this teaching on worry. He says you can’t serve two masters: God and wealth. Wealth is more than money; it’s anything that we think will give us an abundance of security and control over an unknown future. Jesus is doing more than telling us to not worry; he’s telling us to not let worry distract us from God's promises and to remember that the future rests in God’s hands.