Giving Up Worry?

Do you struggle with worry?

I think I'm pretty safe to say we could all answer yes to that question - at least sometimes. How much we worry or what we worry about might be different for all of us, but we likely all worry at times.

Luke 12:22-34 records Jesus' teaching on worry. I'm going to pull some truths and words of Jesus out of this passage, but what I'm saying might be clearer if you read the passage before you go on. Either click on the link above or look it up yourself.




Twelve verses that we love to quote or reference when it comes to the topic of worry. Jesus reminding us of why we don't have to worry and how much God cares for us. Words we know are true, but are hard to live out more often than not.

In many ways, it seems only natural to worry. About what we need; about how we'll be able to afford what we need; about what might be happening next; about what has happened. The big problem with worry is that it's often about things we can't control anyways; so it really does us no good.

In Luke 12:25 Jesus asks questions that point out the foolishness of worry:

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?"

Jesus is pretty clear in these words about the foolishness and futility of worry.

If Jesus left us at that point, we would still have a problem. We would know we shouldn't worry, but we wouldn't know what we should do instead. Since it's really difficult to just stop doing something and not replace it with something else. That just makes it harder.

Thankfully, Jesus doesn't stop there. He gives us the antidote to worrying just a few verses later in Luke 12:31:

"But seek His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well."

In these words, Jesus is explaining the shift in our perspective and thinking that is required if we're going to be able to let go of worry in our lives. We need to be looking to God and His Kingdom - seeking His ways on earth.

When that is our focus, we'll be able to let go of the worries we have. As long as our focus is on this earth and our needs and wants and all the unknowns, we'll be stuck in our worry. When we shift our focus to God and His kingdom, our worries are greatly reduced, or even disappear altogether.