"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
~ Matthew 6:34 (NIV84)
I’ve been trying my hardest to finish a lengthy book that was begun a few years ago — Martin Luther, by Eric Metaxas. Actually Paul and I started it together as a read-aloud during car trips, but 16th century German names and locations can get a little laborious to pronounce, so we set it aside. Well, this is my summer to check off the pile of books that have been set aside.
It’s a great history book, and having been to Germany now, especially having walked the streets of Worms, I find the book all the more interesting. But even more fascinating to me than the story of the reformer’s life is the story of his marriage to Katie, the former Katharina von Bora who was sent to a convent at age five. Eventually, Luther left his position as a monk and Katharina as a nun and Luther (42) and Katie (29) married and their lively relationship (including six children) began.
She was the quintessential homesteader and could have been a successful influencer in today’s world where so many young women want chickens, a garden, herbal remedies, and a goat. Katharina herded, milked, and slaughtered cattle; made butter and cheese; brewed beer; fished from their pond, planted and harvested a garden and a fruit orchard; all while managing their 40 room home, which was an abandoned monastery called the Black Cloister. Luther affectionately called her “The morning star of Wittenberg”, and “Kitty, my rib”; she respectfully called him “Doctor”.
The point for this post, however, is not their interesting marriage, but the fact that even intelligent, devoted, and accomplished Christians can fall into anxiety and worry. Luther himself was given to depression and hypochondria; Katie worried endlessly while The Doctor was traveling and away from her watchful eye. Maybe you also have your points of worry.
In our Scripture (above), Jesus exhorted his hearers, “do NOT worry’; Psalm 37 begins with “Fret NOT…”; Philippians 4:6 says, “Do NOT be anxious about anything…” Well, that solves everything, right? Now that we’ve been informed by those Scriptures we’ll never worry again about a thing! Actually, it’s not that easy is it? We need constant reminders, maybe daily, and sometimes it doesn’t hurt for someone to warn us about how futile (and damaging) our worry really is.
Once, while Luther was traveling, he sent the kind of reminder I’m referring to in a letter to his dear wife:
To the saintly, worrying Lady Katherine Luther, doctor at Zulsdorf and Wittenberg, my gracious dear wife: We thank you heartily for being so worried that you can’t sleep, for since you started worrying about us, and no doubt due to your worry, a big stone, save for the dear angels, would have fallen and crushed us like a mouse in a trap. If you don’t stop worrying, I’m afraid the earth will swallow us.
And Katie took her turn as well, even though she nursed Luther’s many difficulties and infirmities, she knew when a simple pantomime would prove to be a sturdy reminder. One day, when Luther was depressed, Katie put on a black dress. Luther asked her: “Are you going to a funeral?” “No,” she responded, “but since you act as though God is dead, I wanted to join you in the mourning!”
Are you worrying about something right now, as though God is dead — as though He no longer sees or cares about the details of your life? Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6, where our focus verse came from) reminds us that our Heavenly Father sees and knows what is going on in our life and what we need and He will provide for us. There is something we can do to replace worry, anxiety, depression, hypochondria and it might be most simply expressed in a children’s song that all of my kids use to sing:
Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything,
tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank Him.
Sometimes it also doesn’t hurt to have someone close to us remind us how ridiculous worrying really is. I maybe wouldn’t suggest going the black dress route unless you have a well-established relationship for that kind of loving sarcasm. But, it might be your privilege this week to be the person who reminds others of the futility of worry and the necessity for prayer.
For me, I’m trying to put the ‘don’t worry’ admonition into practice. Instead, I’ve been trying to purposefully pray about everything. On the cancer scene, I have gotten a positive report of some shrinkage of the tumors, so we’re holding the course and I have eight more stops on the chemo train. Please pray they will be effective as well.
My Love,
Sue
sue@ccontario.com