WHAT, ME WORRY?
Michael Tan
Of all species of God’s creatures, humans are the only worriers.
The Covid-19 pandemic has certainly elevated fear, anxiety, worry, domestic violence, mental distress, despair and anger to a heightened level.
Matthew 6:25-34 has Jesus’ definitive take on worry. Obviously, worry is not only a problem of modern affluent society. The hoi polloi that sat listening to Jesus on that Judean hillside could also identify with it. Otherwise, Jesus never would have brought it up. Unlike any other school of thought, Jesus put the problem into perspective by pointing out some things that everyone across the ages could understand.
May I venture to say that Jesus is addressing three aspects of life that have always caused us to worry and even more so in times of crisis. I am phrasing them in modern terminology.
Firstly, the F&B of life
In Matthew 6:25 Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink …”
That’s why we saw panic buying and hoarding globally in response to lockdowns. Food and beverage constitute the basic necessities of life. Jesus is not saying they are not important. Instead, he pointed toward the sky and said, “Look at the birds of the air (insignificant sparrows); they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”
The point, of course, is not that birds or animals never need to work for food. We know that the average sparrow spares no effort in finding food. The message is that they do not worry about it. There may have been “angry birds” but there are certainly no anxious birds! And if birds who are so much lower than humans in God’s hierarchy of creation do not have to worry, why should we?
Secondly, the Longines of life
We have now over 7 million infections and almost half a million deaths. Covid-19 can certainly shorten lives especially for old and vulnerable folks. Worrying about how long we can live or how much longer will not do any good. That is the thrust of what we come across next in Jesus’ words, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour (as we may observe with a Longines watch) to your life?”
The obvious answer is – No one! Had Jesus been speaking today, he might have pointed out that excessive worry has precisely the opposite effect. Not only will worry not add to the length of years, it will probably considerably subtract from them. I know as a worrier that worry has never reversed hair loss!
Thirdly, the Vogue of life
Here comes Jesus’ third question about existential worry: “What shall we wear?” After all, one’s fashion statement is really about one’s quality of life. A more comfortable and luxurious one will be much preferred. Of course, proper clothing is important. In first century Judea no less, the clothes people wore reflected their social status and position in society. As Mark Twain once remarked, “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” That’s surely incentive enough for bespoke tailoring!
Jesus further probes, “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you – you of little faith?
What Jesus is simply and truthfully saying is that as far as God is concerned, life is more than its perceived or desired quality. What props us up in life is as expendable as the most beautiful flowers and grass.
The necessities, the length and the quality of life – these trinity of needs and wants tend to worry us a great deal. Yet, none of them should particularly concern us because God knows exactly what we need to live on earth.
“WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER” is a catch phrase of the pandemic. However, if we are in this pandemic or whatever crisis together just by ourselves, we may never really make it out better or stronger. The good news is that WE ARE NOT ALONE. In fact, we have a loving God who knows exactly what we need. If we take the time to look up and wide, we see that even insignificant birds and expendable lilies and grass are being cared for. If we remember that, we will hopefully learn not to worry too much.
MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS
Managing the Human Side of Change
Change is inevitable. In fact, one of the roles of a leader is to effect change. But the human side of change (emotion, ownership, workstyle, engagement, etc.) is often neglected.
That’s why we believe it’s very important to teach this topic especially during this uncertain time that requires leaders and organizations to be agile, make quick decisions and implement the change efficiently.
One of our faculty members, Dr Lim Peng Soon, led this 3-part webinar for 16 ELDP participants on June 8-10, 2020.
“Very relevant and timely topic for such a time as this.” – Esther Tan, Singapore
Upskill with SkillsFuture Credit
We are deeply encouraged by the support of partners and government that has made our microlearning courses eligible to purchase with SkillsFuture credit.
Now is the best time to upskill and retool your competencies to prepare for the new challenges ahead.
Browse the courses at www.nexleaders.com/skillsfuture.
UP NEXT
Join our founder, Peter Chao, as he shares with us his reflections and thoughts on the Epistle to the Philippians.
Peter Chao founded Eagles Communications in 1968 and served as its President till 2014. He remains on the staff and the Board of Governance of the organization, travelling internationally to speak and consult with business and non-profit organizations.
Peter received his training at Fuller Theological Seminary and the Peter Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University in USA.
Register at www.eagles.org.sg/er
WHAT, ME WORRY?
Michael Tan
Of all species of God’s creatures, humans are the only worriers.
The Covid-19 pandemic has certainly elevated fear, anxiety, worry, domestic violence, mental distress, despair and anger to a heightened level.
Matthew 6:25-34 has Jesus’ definitive take on worry. Obviously, worry is not only a problem of modern affluent society. The hoi polloi that sat listening to Jesus on that Judean hillside could also identify with it. Otherwise, Jesus never would have brought it up. Unlike any other school of thought, Jesus put the problem into perspective by pointing out some things that everyone across the ages could understand.
May I venture to say that Jesus is addressing three aspects of life that have always caused us to worry and even more so in times of crisis. I am phrasing them in modern terminology.
Firstly, the F&B of life
In Matthew 6:25 Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink …”
That’s why we saw panic buying and hoarding globally in response to lockdowns. Food and beverage constitute the basic necessities of life. Jesus is not saying they are not important. Instead, he pointed toward the sky and said, “Look at the birds of the air (insignificant sparrows); they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”
The point, of course, is not that birds or animals never need to work for food. We know that the average sparrow spares no effort in finding food. The message is that they do not worry about it. There may have been “angry birds” but there are certainly no anxious birds! And if birds who are so much lower than humans in God’s hierarchy of creation do not have to worry, why should we?
Secondly, the Longines of life
We have now over 7 million infections and almost half a million deaths. Covid-19 can certainly shorten lives especially for old and vulnerable folks. Worrying about how long we can live or how much longer will not do any good. That is the thrust of what we come across next in Jesus’ words, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour (as we may observe with a Longines watch) to your life?”
The obvious answer is – No one! Had Jesus been speaking today, he might have pointed out that excessive worry has precisely the opposite effect. Not only will worry not add to the length of years, it will probably considerably subtract from them. I know as a worrier that worry has never reversed hair loss!
Thirdly, the Vogue of life
Here comes Jesus’ third question about existential worry: “What shall we wear?” After all, one’s fashion statement is really about one’s quality of life. A more comfortable and luxurious one will be much preferred. Of course, proper clothing is important. In first century Judea no less, the clothes people wore reflected their social status and position in society. As Mark Twain once remarked, “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” That’s surely incentive enough for bespoke tailoring!
Jesus further probes, “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you – you of little faith?
What Jesus is simply and truthfully saying is that as far as God is concerned, life is more than its perceived or desired quality. What props us up in life is as expendable as the most beautiful flowers and grass.
The necessities, the length and the quality of life – these trinity of needs and wants tend to worry us a great deal. Yet, none of them should particularly concern us because God knows exactly what we need to live on earth.
“WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER” is a catch phrase of the pandemic. However, if we are in this pandemic or whatever crisis together just by ourselves, we may never really make it out better or stronger. The good news is that WE ARE NOT ALONE. In fact, we have a loving God who knows exactly what we need. If we take the time to look up and wide, we see that even insignificant birds and expendable lilies and grass are being cared for. If we remember that, we will hopefully learn not to worry too much.
MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS
Managing the Human Side of Change
Change is inevitable. In fact, one of the roles of a leader is to effect change. But the human side of change (emotion, ownership, workstyle, engagement, etc.) is often neglected.
That’s why we believe it’s very important to teach this topic especially during this uncertain time that requires leaders and organizations to be agile, make quick decisions and implement the change efficiently.
One of our faculty members, Dr Lim Peng Soon, led this 3-part webinar for 16 ELDP participants on June 8-10, 2020.
“Very relevant and timely topic for such a time as this.” – Esther Tan, Singapore
Upskill with SkillsFuture Credit
We are deeply encouraged by the support of partners and government that has made our microlearning courses eligible to purchase with SkillsFuture credit.
Now is the best time to upskill and retool your competencies to prepare for the new challenges ahead.
Browse the courses at www.nexleaders.com/skillsfuture.
UP NEXT
Join our founder, Peter Chao, as he shares with us his reflections and thoughts on the Epistle to the Philippians.
Peter Chao founded Eagles Communications in 1968 and served as its President till 2014. He remains on the staff and the Board of Governance of the organization, travelling internationally to speak and consult with business and non-profit organizations.
Peter received his training at Fuller Theological Seminary and the Peter Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University in USA.
Register at www.eagles.org.sg/er