Monday, July 17, 2017

‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’

There was a song a long time ago by Bobby McFerrin that goes like this:
            “Here is a little song I wrote
            You might want to sing it note for note
            Don’t worry, be happy
            In every life we have some trouble
            When you worry you make it double
            Don’t worry, be happy.”
This might seem a bit simplistic or naïve or maybe even impossible, but these words are also a message from Jesus. 
On the “Sermon on the Mount” he says: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear.” (Matthew 6:25).  We do worry because some things in this life make us fearful and often seem to challenge our very existence. 
Looking around this world, it does not take long to have concern about the endless wars in the Middle East, North Korean long-range missile testing, senseless mass killings, deaths of so many people of color caused by law enforcement officers, and deaths of law enforcement officers, global warming, and Congressional efforts to eliminate healthcare safety nets.
Even our denomination’s fractious conversations about unity versus separation can cause distress. The list of things to worry about seems endless, and indeed, when we worry that list seem to double.  
Did Jesus know all of this when he told us not to worry about our lives?  Some very bad things happen in life that do not get fixed up with happy endings like in the movies. 
But Jesus takes us up on a mountain, above the sorrows and struggles of life, and tells us to “seek first the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness.” (Matthew 6:33) This is the bigger picture that goes beyond our present moment and lives on into eternity.
Jesus knows about our sorrows. He was a “man of sorrows, acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3), and he promises to be with us in our suffering.
As we keep our eyes open, seeking first the kingdom of God above all else, even our hard times can be used for good. We can help others who are walking along our journey of suffering, by offering them the empathy and support that only those on the path can give. 
We can look to the promise of heaven where all things are made right and justice prevails. This is our ultimate answer when the things of life cannot bring restoration and healing. We can work to do justice and love mercy and walk humbly with our God while we are still here. Then as we do, we will find true meaning and purpose in life, and we will be sustained in hope.
It all comes down to faith. Faith is that which we cannot see but the substance of which gives us full confidence.  Faith gives us the patience, peace and hope for the future, despite the fearful conditions of this life.
“God is with us, and God is faithful.” You might want to sing that song, that blessed assurance, note for note. Jesus reminds us not to worry like the Gentiles (or like those who don’t know God). So, believers, “Don’t worry, be happy.” 

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for this, Bishop Peggy! The week after that fateful day in 2001 we call "9/11," I had the doors of our church open for people to come and pray in the sanctuary. Over the back field of our church strode a tall man holding the hand of a young girl, both of them dreadlocked and smiling. I showed them to the sanctuary and offered devotional materials. On their way out, I introduced myself, and he introduced himself and his daughter. "Hi," he said, "I'm Bobby McFerrin." He and his family had moved temporarily into our neighborhood a few weeks before. Bobby and his family were in worship the following Sunday, and of course, I dreamed of him joining our choir! That did not happen, but his presence, and remembering the words to that song, was a sign given to me that God was still in control of God's creation. Don't worry, be happy, for God is still with us!

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