October 13, 2024 Reflection

If there’s one thing that rubs me the wrong way, it’s being told not to feel whatever it is I am actually feeling. Have you ever had someone say to you – “Don’t be upset. It all going to be okay.” But I am upset and telling me not to be upset is of no help whatsoever.  It reminds me of a poster I saw that said “Never in the history of calming down has anyone calmed down by being told to calm down.”

So today’s scripture reading, which begins with Jesus telling us not to worry, his words implying that everything is going to be okay, has often irritated me. I would much prefer Jesus say to us “I can see that you are worried and I understand.” That seems a more Jesus-like thing for him to say.  I would especially like to hear him say that to us at this particular moment in history, because everything is not actually okay. Much is unravelling in our lives. There is division and fear in our land and many of us are worried and grief filled. Jesus tells us not to worry, and that may sound challenging, especially for those carrying heavy burdens of loss and grief. When life feels overwhelming, and our hearts are broken, how can we let go of anxiety and trust in God?

The answer lies not in avoiding our grief, but in meeting it with compassion, mindfulness, and trust. Jesus’ invitation to “not worry” is not a denial of our struggles but a call to lean into God’s love, even amid sorrow.

Telling us not to worry is a bit like telling us not to breathe. We may not be worried 24/7 but there is definitely an air of anxiety in the land. Those worries are showing up in the deterioration of our mental health, in people protesting in the streets, the division and conflict in our world and even in our country.

If to breathe is to live, then I think to live might be to worry, not all of the time but at least some of the time. Surely that’s why over two thousand years ago Jesus felt compelled to address the subject of worry, preoccupation and stress. It’s a topic is still relevant for us today.

But I don’t actually think that’s today’s scripture reading is really about worry. I think what’s being addressed is something much deeper and worry is just a symptom of it. What’s really at the heart of today’s reading is our human need for control. In case there’s any doubt about that, notice the things we are specifically being asked not to worry about: money, food, clothing and our material possessions, the things in life, that when we have them, make us feel like we do have control, the things that often give us comfort and a sense of security.

The passage, then, isn’t dismissing our emotions or pretending everything is fine. Instead, Jesus is calling us to examine the deeper issue: our human desire for control. Worrying about money, food, and material possessions highlights how much we cling to external things to feel secure. The real message is about trust—trusting God, letting go of the need to control everything, and embracing a life of faith, even in the midst of uncertainty.

But what do we do with our anxiety in the meantime? It’s not as simple as flipping a switch and deciding to trust more. As I already said, telling someone not to worry is rarely helpful. So, how do we move through our worry and fear while still living out this call to faith?

First, we need to acknowledge and honour our emotions. Jesus never tells us to ignore our feelings; in fact, we know that he wept with those who were grieving. Feeling worry, sadness, or even anger doesn’t make us less faithful. These emotions are part of our human experience, and God meets us in them. It’s okay to say, “I’m anxious,” or “I’m afraid,” because we see throughout Scripture that God is big enough to handle those emotions.

In times of grief, for example, feeling the weight of loss is natural, and we shouldn’t shy away from it. The Psalms give us countless examples of expressing sorrow and finding God right in the middle of it. Grieving well is part of healing well. Sometimes that healing begins by noticing moments of grace amid our sorrow.

However, we also need tools to cope with the anxiety and grief that come with our longing for control. This is where mindfulness or meditation can be a valuable spiritual practice. Mindfulness isn’t just a trendy word; it’s a practice rooted in awareness and presence. It teaches us to notice our thoughts and feelings without judgment, giving us a little more space to respond rather than react. I have found mindfulness practice to be so helpful.  When I get those stressful thoughts and worries that spin around in my mind and don’t want to leave me alone, at some point (usually a little too late – after I’ve been worrying for a while), I remember oh – I have tools for this!

One mindful tool is breath prayer. When we focus on our breathing, slowing it down, we create a space to invite God into our stress. We might inhale and pray, “God, I trust you,” and exhale, “with all my worries.” Or inhale “God be with me” and exhale “through my grief”  Or just Breathe in calm and breathe out worries.  Breathe in what you need – breathe out what you want to let go of.  This practice helps us ground ourselves, turning our attention away from anxious thoughts and back to God’s presence.

Another tool is expressing gratitude. When we’re overwhelmed with worry or grief, it’s easy to get stuck in the negative. But choosing to intentionally name things we’re thankful for—even in difficult times—can shift our perspective. It doesn’t erase the challenges, but it helps us remember that God’s goodness is still present in our lives, even when things feel out of control.

Finally, we need to practice letting go, which doesn’t mean becoming passive. It means accepting that we can’t control everything and releasing our tight grip on the future. Jesus’ invitation to trust is a call to release the weight of the things we can’t change and to rest in the assurance that God holds us, even in the midst of chaos. Grief cannot be rushed or bypassed. By bringing mindfulness to our sorrow, we allow ourselves to feel what we need to feel, while also trusting that God is present, holding us in love.

We cannot control everything that happens in our world no matter how prepared we are.

Thankfully, what’s being asked for in today’s reading, isn’t really about living worry free. There are always going to be things beyond our control that make us feel anxious. Today’s reading is really about helping us to focus our lives in such a way that we lessen our need for worry. What Jesus is actually inviting us into in this passage is what he refers to as the heavenly realm, the kindom of God. It’s a way of being, where the focus is on what God focusses on, an existence where people look out for one another, where they share what they have, take what they need and leave some for others. And they do that, because they trust that what is needed will be provided. That trust helps them to let go of their need for control.

In one of the more challenging lines in this passage we’re told not to be like the Gentiles who strive after creature comforts. We’re really being told not to act like non-believers. The irony is that most of us do act like this most of the time. We might say we trust God to provide for our every need but when push comes to shove, we’re much more comfortable providing for ourselves, just in case God doesn’t come through in the end. It’s hard to live an open handed, open hearted life, especially when things feel out of control.  We need that assurance of stuff around us or food in our pantries and money in our bank accounts, and in fact it is our responsibility to live this way!  Be Prepared – that good life lesson and Girl Guide motto I grew up with.

So Jesus gives us some really simple instructions on how to cultivate our trust in God’s gracious provision. All we have to do, he says, is pay attention. Look at the birds. Consider the lilies. Although it’s not explicitly stated, what’s being encouraged here is the cultivation of an attitude of gratitude, an attitude that helps us to notice the mysterious provisions that come our way in life, often completely unexpected.

And that in some ways is really what this weekend and what today are all about, intentionally stopping to notice what we have been given and to offer thanks.

In the traditional way of doing that, we pause to give thanks for the harvest. Before there were grocery stores, this is the time of year that farmers would bring in their crops. The canning and preserving would begin for the non-growing season ahead. The community would gather to give thanks that creation had provided enough, enough fruits and vegetables and fish and game to carry them through the leaner months. There was an honouring of the abundance of the earth and the sea and the sky because unlike us they knew they weren’t going to be running out to the Safeway for potatoes when they ran out. They knew they had to share their harvests with one another.

In her book “Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks” Diana Butler Bass talks about how she spent a good portion of her life worried that she was ungrateful. Being grateful was difficult for her because she disliked the notion of debt, duty and required reciprocity that so often goes along with our expressions of gratitude. You know how that is. I invite you for dinner and then you feel like you have to invite me back. It can be very difficult to give and receive freely without strings attached.

So she set to studying the topic of gratitude and then more importantly practicing it each and every day. One of the many things she noticed is that gratitude is inherently social. She says it always connects us as individuals to others. In the worst of what that can be, it makes us feel beholden to one another, as I just mentioned. But in the best of what giving thanks can be she says it feels joyful. It makes us want to reach out to others to share our gifts. It deepens our awareness of our common humanity, of humility and blessing. It calls us to focus on and build the world that God envisions which is really what I think Jesus was referencing in today’s reading, focussing on the realm of God.

It’s true that there is much that is not okay in our world right now. So much is unravelling. There is division and fear and grief and we are worried. Yet all around us creation is teeming with abundance, pulsing with possibility and we are part of it. We too are God’s great provision for one another and for the world. As we stop to give thanks this day, may our gratitude unite us, may it ground us and steady us for the uncertain times ahead.

For it is this tension that we live in—acknowledging our grief and worries, but also practicing trust and gratitude, using whatever spiritual tools we have to ground ourselves. We don’t have to have all the answers, and we don’t have to pretend that everything is okay. But as our scripture says:  “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” It is a reminder to stay in the moment.  But in those moments when we feel like we’re losing control, we can trust that God is with us, even when the world feels uncertain. In those moments, let’s hear Jesus saying, not “Don’t worry,” but instead “I can see that you are worried, and I understand, and I am with you.” Amen.