Don't Worry

We've been told for as long as I can remember that it's a sin to worry. Why?

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Php 4:6-7)

There it is in black and white. We're told not to worry about anything, so it's a sin ... right? The Bible in Basic English says "Have no cares." The Contemporary English Version says, "Don't worry about anything." The King James says, "Be careful for nothing" (in the sense, I'm sure, of being "full of cares" rather than "cautious"). All similar ... all slightly different. Why? Because the word doesn't really translate directly (and the changing nature of the English language only makes it worse, as evidenced by the King James "careful" choice of translation). So, are we allowed to worry, or aren't we? Given the current atmosphere and culture and direction things are going on top of all the rest of life that has always been (deaths, illnesses, job loss, on and on), it might seem impossible not to worry ... or even wise not to worry.

The word itself is translated so differently because it's not straightforward. The word is μεριμνάω -- merimnaō. It means most literally the idea of "divided." The idea is more at "distracted." If you take our concept of "anxious" or "worried" and hold it up against "distracted," I think you can see how it works. But that would put a nuance on "worry," wouldn't it? I mean, if I can care about something (as opposed to "careful for nothing") without letting it distract me, is that worrying? It is, then, a matter of how distracting your worrying is. So how can we avoid being distracted by the cares of our lives? Well, Paul doesn't leave us to guess. Pray. Don't just pray; ask. What's the difference? Well, prayer is a conversation with God. We can pray without asking. "Lord, this is what I'm feeling. This is what's going on. These are my concerns." And that's good. Supplication, on the other hand, is when we place petitions before the Father. We ask Him to do something. We talk to God and we ask Him to do something. There is, however, a third aspect: thanksgiving. Interesting, isn't it? While we're bringing our concerns to Him, we're also thanking Him. That helps us to focus our attention on the God who is faithful and who is goodness personified and always does what is best. The result is peace. Not merely peace, though. It is the peace of God, a peace that passes comprehension. It isn't a logical version; it's supernatural. And that peace guards your hearts and minds.

Now, I'm sure you've seen that text before and knew most or all of that. We often miss, however, that it's not left at that. Verse 7, as it turns out, is followed by verse 8.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Php 4:8)

That "finally" is in conclusion to what was just said in the previous verses -- how to deal with distracting cares. Don't get distracted. Instead, pray, ask, and thank God. Then change your thought patterns. Change how you think. Change where your mind dwells. Think about what is true and honorable, just and pure, lovely and commendable. Think about things other than your cares, things that are good and positive and godly. And we get it, right? I mean, if I were to tell you, "Don't think about giraffes. Don't picture their colors, imagine their long necks, visualize them eating in their habitat from trees", you would be unable to think about anything else. So, there are valid reasons for concern. Just don't be distracted by them. Take them to God in dialog and request, filled with thanksgiving, and then change your thoughts to the good. It's a God-given formula to keep us from being distracted by the things we care about but can't fix. And we all have a lot of those, don't we?