Fear of the Future

 

[Jesus said] “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 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? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, 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 of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:25-30 ESV).

 

Of all the fears in life it is easiest to fear the unknown of the future. It may be we fear that we will not have enough resources to sustain us. It may be a fear of the natural process of aging and all the health challenges that typically accompany another birthday. It may be our inability to navigate the challenges to the constant march of technology in our lives. There are dozens of others we might name that produce anxiety in our lives. Unfortunately, all these fears rob us of the present and the joy God desires for us. The meme today is correct: Never let your fear decide your future.

 

In our reading today, Jesus points to the birds, which don’t sow or reap or store away. God cares for them every day. Jesus points to the flowers, which don’t labor or spin. They are clothed in splendor one day and are gone the next. If God cares for some of these simpler parts of his creation, won’t he care for our needs as well?

 

It’s magnificent to hear about God caring for us. Amid fear and worry this is exactly what we need. But then even if we hear this one day and realize how much God cares for us, we can fall back into the same worry again the next day. It seems to be wrapped into our DNA to worry about what we will eat and drink and wear and so on. I’m not sure we will ever stop worrying about the future. Fortunately, though, God’s assurance is present just as often as our fears are. A day will likely come soon when you will worry about what’s next. When that happens, remember that our Father in heaven cares for us more than we can even imagine.