A Mouthful

If Jesus ever said a mouthful that was hard for us to receive and chew, it was surely, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."  (Matthew 5:46)   And while this Word is an inclusive Word which includes the whole of our living, another Word which is more particular is just as hard for us to receive and chew.  It is found in the same section of Scripture and says, "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own.  Today's trouble is enough for today."  (Matthew 6:34)   Some of us might even think that perfection is more likely than staying inside one day with our worrying.   

Indeed, it is a hard thing for us not to borrow trouble from tomorrow.  Whenever we get caught up this act of borrowing from the future, it not only decreases the possibility of experiencing a measure of pleasure in the day being given to us, but it also takes away from focusing our energy on the trouble which is actually at our doorstep when we open it up to walk into the day God is giving to us.   

Jesus seems to be recognizing the reality of our anxiety over things which cannot be handled, but He also calls us not to become so obsessed with it that we fail to live in an attitude of trust in Him.  If we are looking for the opposite of worry, it is surely trust. What cannot be handled by us does not end up being handled because of our worry.  On the other hand what cannot be handled does seem to find some sense of resolution when we live placing not just the unhandled parts of our life in His hands, but all of our life.