Don't Worry... Be Happy

 

And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.” (Luke 12:22-31 ESV).

 

Bobby McFerrin’s mother taught him to love the Lord and in 1988, he wrote one of the most beloved anthems to happiness of all time. On September 24 that year, “Don't Worry Be Happy” became the first a cappella song to reach #1 on the Billboard Top 100 Chart. The song’s opening lines say: “In every life we have some trouble. But when you worry, you make it double.” Listen to it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN__r9h4XzE.

 

This is what Jesus is teaching in our reading today. Jesus said, “I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear (v. 24). He asks us to consider the birds and the wild flowers. He concludes that God feeds them; God clothes them; and, we are much more valuable in his sight than birds and flowers. Thus, we can surely trust God for all of our needs.

 

We are often perplexed with fear and insecurity. It is not as easy as singing a quirky little song. We often are forced to work hard for what little we are able to earn. We must remember this ought to be expected. It is after all a part of the judgment pronounced on Adam and Eve and passed on to all of humanity. What we also must remember is that Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection now gives us a different standing. While it may still be difficult in various circumstances, we can know that God has not abandoned us to facing these times alone. This brings us a freedom in trust.

 

That freedom brings us the ability to “Don’t worry… be happy!”