I used to beat myself up over it. Every time my mind spiraled, I was sure worry was this major sin that I had to confess.
The warning about anxiety was for our benefit. God won’t keep you out of heaven over the electric bill.
Trust Him. Repent if you feel you need to. And don’t worry about worrying.
Where exactly does Scripture call worry a sin though?
Jesus says don’t worry about tomorrow, since today has enough trouble, which reads like an invitation to me, not a condemnation. He never calls the worry itself sinful.
I can fully trust I’m in God’s hands and still wonder what that’s gonna look like. That’s being human.
I’m Martha in Luke 10. Jesus tells her she’s “anxious and troubled about many things,” and it sounds like He’s saying her name twice to get her to look up instead of handing her a sin list.
Last month I spent a solid hour fretting over a medical bill. Praying, pacing, drafting a budget in my head. Then I opened the envelope. $14. So now my first step is to look at the thing before I build an entire disaster around it.
Ask for today’s portion. Worrying rehearses a tomorrow that isn’t here yet. Manna came daily for a reason.
Sometimes the holiest thing I can do is step outside. Look at what He’s keeping alive without my help and let my soul bow again before His providence.
That’s Matthew 6 for me. Jesus points to the birds and lilies, and sure, it’s a command not to worry, but I hear an invitation to see the Father’s care underneath it.