Cliff Loesch May 25, 2008 Matthew 6:24-34 A Relaxation Response Our passage this week says, "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today." Now, that's a message that I need to hear again and again and again: "So do not worry." But there is also a puzzling theme in this passage-one that I have questions about. As you read these verses you get the distinct impression that Jesus is saying that you shouldn't plan for tomorrow at all. Like the birds of the air, does Jesus mean that we, also, should not sow nor reap nor gather into barns? Or like the lilies of the field should we neither toil nor spin? On the surface of things this seems to be exactly what he is saying-and that God will certainly take excellent care of those who make no plans for tomorrow. This seems like pretty impractical advice in the world in which we live-the world where gas prices seem to be going up almost daily; the world where food prices are also going up. As if we didn't already have enough challenges. William R. Brody, president of Johns Hopkins University, wrote recently, "College tuition has been rising faster than inflation for more than a few decades." http://www.jhu.edu/gazette/2008/12may08/12brody.html Likewise, the cost of healthcare has risen faster than inflation for a very long time. The cost of nursing home care, should a person need it someday, is also very expensive. For all these things it seems that a little thought for tomorrow-at least a little planning-is essential. The King James Version of the Bible that was the primary translation used in the English-speaking world for several centuries said, "Take no thought for the morrow," instead of "Do not worry about tomorrow." All modern translations-including the New King James Version-read, "Do not worry about tomorrow." The phrase "Take no thought for tomorrow," seems to give slightly the wrong impression. This passage is not anti-planning; it is anti-worry. Indeed, when you look at the life of Jesus, you can see evidence of planning for tomorrow-quite a bit of evidence. To me it seems pretty obvious that Jesus did not think he would be around forever and he laid the groundwork for his ministry to continue. He groomed and trained and prepared his disciples for ministry after he was gone. He told them to go into all the world to tell the good news. He said that he would be with them always through the Holy Spirit-and that the Holy Spirit would continue to guide and strengthen and teach them forever. Yes there was quite a bit of evidence of planning for tomorrow in Jesus' life and ministry. In his statements in Matthew 6, Jesus was not anti-planning-he was anti-worry. And if I may add this thought: Isn't it possible that making some plans for the future may even be a way of removing some of our worries or fears about tomorrow? To make an attempt at being prepared seems like it might be a way to alleviate some of the worry and stress of life. When it comes to this passage in Matthew, I've been thinking this week about the relationship between worry and stress. The two seem very inter-related. They often go together. And though the passage never uses the term, "stress," it seems to me that you could almost substitute the concept of stress for the word, worry. Stress, as we have come to understand it is a term that was actually invented in about 1950 by Hans Selye. See http://www.stress.org/hans.htm?AIS=8fe3a098e7a845f32fadcf40f81b0ecf Indeed, stress and worry are closely related-and I've been looking at Jesus' words this week through a lens of stress reduction. And what I see that Jesus tells us through this passage is, "You want to reduce a little stress in your life? Then go out and spend some time in nature. And spend some time contemplating nature. Look at the birds of the air. Consider the lilies of the field." Earlier this week, Marcile (my mother-in-law) asked some of us what we thought would be a perfect vacation. The thought that came to me was to rent a little cottage close to a perfect beach in some exotic location like Jamaica and have some days to sit and watch the ocean and time to take walks along the beach and time to swim and to read. What would be your perfect vacation? Would it involve a beach? Or a mountain stream? Or Redwood forests? Or even a desert? There is something about nature that is very soothing-and at the same time inspiring and rejuvenating. We stop to enjoy the beauty around us-and as we contemplate the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, somehow we gain a little better perspective on our lives. There is something about contemplating nature that reduces our stress. Stress is a big thing in our lives. Of course a certain amount of stress is good for us, so they say-and, indeed, stress is inevitable. But many of us experience higher levels of stress than are really good for us. And we should give some attention to stress reduction. I looked through the website this week for a group called the "American Institute of Stress." http://www.stress.org/ According to them, stress is America's number one health problem. There are many things that cause stress in our lives. Let me read you some of the titles of some of the bulletins they have published or collected from other sources: "Job Stress Layoffs, Money Problems, Heart Attacks and Stroke." Stress, Middle-Aged Spread and Alzheimer's." Stress from Cell Phones and Electromagnetic Field Pollution." Another says, "Companies Are Not Paying Enough Attention to Job Stress." "Job Stress and Heart Disease." "Family Stress and Fevers in Children." "How Stress Causes Cancer and How to Prevent It." And all of those are titles just from the first page of the bulletins. There were several more pages of links to articles. And none of this is really new to you. We know what causes stress in our lives. We could write the articles ourselves about the causes of stress and how stress is, indeed, a big problem. And we suspect that there very well may be a link between stress and many health problems. But we may not necessarily feel like experts on how to reduce stress or how to manage it. One article on the website for the American Institute of Stress, however, stood out. It was called, "Knitting, Needlepoint, Sewing, Stress Reduction and Yoga." The article begins by saying, "Surveys show that there has been a surprising resurgence in the popularity of knitting and other sewing activities in recent years. More than one in three American women, (some 56 million) now knit or crochet, a 51% increase over the past ten years. Even more impressive is that in the past five years, participation in these crafts increased more than 150% in the 25-34 age group and 100% for those 18-years-old and under. This revival in these hobbies is attributed to their stress reduction rewards. As one college student said, 'being able to sit down and just concentrate on one thing such as knitting forces you to slow down and breathe. No worries about scheduling, analyzing, charting or anything else that the ordinary person stresses about everyday. Even if it is only for half an hour, it's a great way to forget everything else for a brief moment and relieve the stress of everyday life.' "Others agree that the repetitive actions needed for knitting and crochet can induce a 'relaxation response' much like that experienced with meditation, Tai Chi, yoga and other relaxation techniques. One study at Harvard's Medical School Mind/Body Institute found a reduction in heart rate of 11 beats/minute and a fall in blood pressure during knitting." http://www.stress.org/scoop-KNITTING-NEEDLEPOINT-SEWING-STRESS-REDUCTION-AND-YOGA-253.htm It's one thing to say that you ought to trust God more. But if you're caught in a downward spiral of worry and overwhelmed by stress, it's difficult to just lay that all aside and trust God just because you know you ought to. My message today is not about knitting. But it is about looking for those activities that bring about a "relaxation response" that will then allow our worry and anxiety and stress to subside. I think this may have been part of what Jesus was doing in Matthew 6 when he said, "Look at the birds of the air…" and "Consider the lilies of the field." The world looks different when stress subsides-and trust is easier. May the Lord help us manage our anxiety-and grow in trust. |