Laurie Hopkins

Worry doesn’t accomplish much.  

It keeps us busy and in that it sometimes makes us feel like we are doing something.  

But in reality, we are wasting our precious time.  

Luke tells us that worrying can’t “add one cubit to (your) stature” so why bother.  

Worrying also can’t fix the problem, brainstorm the problem or come up with solutions to the problem.  

It is an active “inactivity”. 

Several things to ask yourself when you are worrying:

1) Have I taken this to the One who I claim directs my life? (Jesus);

                    If I haven’t it is the perfect place to start

2) What direction has He given me that I am or am not following? 

                    Is my worry because my beliefs are not lining up with my actions?  I say I trust Jesus                            and take my direction from Him, so why am I worrying if He has given me direction                            that  haven’t yet tried?

3) How much of this do I actually have control over?

                    Is this is situation I can influence?  If so, how much influence do it have?  If I have little                      to no influence, is it helpful to worry about it?

 4) What have I done to remedy the pieces I do have control over? 

                    Have I actually taken some action? If not, this is the place to do something

5) What is the real reason I’m worrying about this?

                    Am I worried about this situation or my lack of control over the situation?

What are you worrying about today?  Ask yourself the questions and take some real action!

Are you a worrier?  What helps when you are worrying? Do you think applying these questions to the situation would be beneficial for you?

We are a society that is often more focused on doing rather than being.  

We define our worth by what we do rather than who we are.  

Therefore, we spent much of our time making lists and plans and organizing our lives to accommodate all the things we “need” to get done. 

Martha was busy doing.  

She was upset that Mary was “just” being; and so she complained to Jesus.  

She didn’t expect Jesus’ response.  

Jesus was not prepared to chastise Mary for not helping.  

Mary had “chosen that good part”.  

Mary was “being”.  

She was sitting at the feet of Jesus and allowing Him to speak into her life.  

She was being true to who she was and the relationship she was trying to build.  

Martha was “doing”.  

She was busy trying to build a relationship with Jesus by “doing” for Him, when really He was there to spend time with her and speak life into her. 

Where is your relationship with Jesus right now?  

Are you “doing” or “being”?  

Jesus does not want us to find our worth in what we do.  

He wants us to understand that our inherent worth comes from Him.  

Furthermore He is not a hard taskmaster that hands out “to do and not-to-do lists”.  

He is far more interested in building relationship with us. 

There are times when we need to do, and times when we need to be, but overall, we should be aiming for a “being” lifestyle.  

Let Jesus speak life into you today!

Thinking about your lifestyle (not individual situations) are you “doing” or “being”?

If you are “doing”, how will you move to “being”?

This is a Bible passage that we know well.  

But at the end of the day, how many of us are still asking Jesus, 

“who is our neighbour”

 as we try to justify picking and choosing those we reach out to.   

The message is clear.  

Being a good neighbour requires mercy.  

Mercy doesn’t avoid those that may make us “unclean”, take us out of our way, cost our time and resources, or require a long term commitment.  

Mercy comes at a cost to us but is to be offered freely, without expectation of accolades or repayment. 

Mercy flows from compassion. 

Compassion moves us when we see others as Jesus sees them.  

Our neighbours then are all those that Jesus loves.  

If we look at it this way, perhaps we would be less likely to ask 

“who is our neighbour” 

from a place of trying to weed people out and more from a place of loving people.

Who do you need to love today?