“That’s what I’m telling you, don’t fret about your life – what your going to eat and drink, or about your body – what you’re going to wear. There’s more to living than food and clothing, isn’t there?
“So don’t fret. Don’t say, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ These are all things pagans seek. After all, your heavenly Father is aware that you need them all. Seek God’s empire and his justice first, and all these things will come to you as a bonus.”
Matthew 6:25, 31-33 (Scholars Version
Unemployment is high. Our 401k plans are up and down. The political future of our nation is in question on many, many levels, and Jesus says, “Don’t fret.“ Putting it another way, some people will tell those with the situations that cause fretting, “Give it up to God.” If only it were that easy.
This was a topic of discussion at the Men’s Breakfast Group on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 as we discussed Dr. Alyce McKenzie’s first Perkins Lecture, “The Fear of Everything but God: Cultivating the ‘Fear of the Lord’. As one member noted (and I agreed), “Giving it up to God,” is a trite phrase often thrown around. When folks like myself continue to struggle with issues we face, many would tell us, “You don’t have enough faith or you wouldn’t still be concerned. You obviously have not given it up to God.” That line of thinking annoys me (as well as the other member) for a number of reasons:
- It assumes that God is going to fix everything without my participation. I can’t believe that. I love the line (paraphrased) from St. Augustine and used by John Wesley, “God, who made us without ourselves, will not save us without ourselves.” The life of faith – our relationship with God – is a two-way street. As in any relationship, we have to work together. God isn’t going to force God’s grace on us. We have to accept it, and more often than not, I believe God’s grace isn’t just a change of status but an empowering force of God working with and through us to bring about change in our lives and in the lives of others. Sometimes God’s grace empowers us to accept a solution that is different than what we might have wanted.
- We’d have to be heartless people to not have concerns about people, things, and events that tug at our hearts.
- All too often as hinted at above, people “beat up” other people of the faith, criticizing them for their lack of faith. This often puts the people who are already fretting into more of a state of worry. That is not helpful at all.
In response, though, the great theologian (and retired politician) David Farabee made a great point. He said, properly understood, “Giving it up to God,” is a coping mechanism. It doesn’t mean the concern won’t come back to “haunt” us at some point. Properly understood, the words of a prayer might be something like this:
“God, I’m too focused on these concerns right now. I’m almost paralyzed with fret and worry. Help me at this moment to redirect my thoughts to something more productive. Then, let’s get back together later and see if we have come up with a solution for these concerns.”
I think that is part of what Jesus is getting at when he says, “Seek God’s empire and his justice first, and all these things will come to you as a bonus.“ When we are able to set aside our concerns to be able to further God’s empire, God’s kingdom, it takes our mind off of paralyzing frets and worries. In the process, we might meet people who can help us with our own problems as we help them with theirs.
Questions to ponder:
- What frets and worries are almost paralyzing me right now?
- What need in God’s kingdom / empire might I focus on in order to help me to give up my worries – if even for only relatively short amount of time?
- Who do you know that is paralyzed with frets and worries that you can reach out to in order to help them participate in God’s kingdom / empire?
(Originally posted at http://fumcwf.org/archives/4781 under the title, “Thoughts for Lent: Give It Up to God,” on March 17, 2011)
