Lenten Detox, Part 2: Do Not Worry

I buy suet cakes in bulk. I asked for another heavy-duty feeder for Christmas. The Michigan State Extension bird identification guide is bookmarked on my phone. That’s right–I’ve become a birder.

I hope that my wonderful friends who are more mature won’t mind me saying that I thought birding was for the more mature crowd, something I wouldn’t get into for several decades yet. But it turns out that this is the perfect hobby for the stay-at-home mom, whose primary workstation is the kitchen. Watching the birds is enjoyable for all of us. And they serve as an excellent reminder from God.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? (Matthew 6:25-27)

It’s simple, isn’t it? Why worry? Just look at the birds. They don’t worry about where their next meal is coming from. God takes care of them. And we are worth much, much more than birds.

But worry tends to sneak up on me. I don’t even recognize it as worry. There are so many legitimate concerns to address and details to handle as a mom. What should we do about preschool? Is this patch on her leg just dry skin, or something more? What’s going to happen when we put the four year-old and the two-year old in the same room together? Yup, legitimately scary! And for that matter, food and clothing are pretty important, too. We do need those things–we have to address all these needs for the people under our care.

But the thing is, I start out thinking that I’m “planning,” and soon my mind gets stuck on the same anxious thoughts. Sadly, they become the soundtrack of my day, playing in the background while I do my mom tasks, kind of like the noise from the girls’ favorite DVDs playing over and over as we bump along in the van.

That’s why it’s so good to take a moment to hear what my mind is saying. That’s when I realize that the Devil, master marketer that he is, has repackaged for this new season of my life what turns out to be the same old sin.

I recognize worry because it has marked other seasons. The teen said, “How will I find friends?” The young adult said, “How will I make ends meet and handle being on my own?” The not-so-young adult said, “How will I find a godly spouse?” Looking back, it’s clear to see how wonderfully God worked out all these situations. In fact, it is God’s tremendous blessings that have marked each stage of my life! Don’t let me fall again for the same old sin wrapped up in “mom packaging.”

Thank God that I don’t have to worry about this sin driving me away from God. Jesus paid for it already. God’s grace covers each and every instance of worry in my my life and yours. “What shall we say, then?” the Apostle Paul writes. “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means!”

I now ask myself: “Shall we go on worrying so that grace may increase? By no means!” We died to sin in our baptism, and we have been raised to a new life with Jesus.

I have even more reasons to stop worrying now that I’m a mom.

1. Worrying drains my energy. Right now I NEED every ounce of energy God gives me.
2. I want to model for my girls a life of trust, not worry.
3. I want to enjoy God’s blessings for today.

Just as the birds come and take their seeds and suet for the day, without concern for tomorrow. We have the opportunity to watch them each morning.

That would be a perfect time to repeat Jesus’ words. Out loud, so the girls can hear me, too. For as many mornings as needed. Time to start a new soundtrack. And this one will be music to my family’s–and God’s–ears.