A friend recently posted a hilarious chart
entitled “How different snowfall amounts affect different parts of the
country.” The chart lists different snow “depths” down one side and on the top
it listed three different geographical regions: East Coast; The South; and
Midwest. For example, the chart listed for “Flurries, less than inch” the
following regional responses: East Coast – “Commute times increased by 25-50%;”
The South – “Mild panic and a sense of doom;” Midwest – “Start to think about
wearing long pants – Maybe.” After a number of incremental increases the chart
indicates responses to “12-24 inches”: East Coast – “Schools closed, as well as
businesses, airports, hospitals, and all non-essential government services;”
The South – Federal Disaster declared. National Guard called in;” and Midwest –
“Minor traffic delays.” Finally the chart gets to “36+ inches.” The chart then
reads: East Coast – “Jim Castore of the Weather Channel spotted;” The South –
“Nothing left alive except for some burrowing mammals which will eventually
evolve and repopulate the region;” Midwest – “Snow Day! Yay! (Except for you.
You still have to go to work).” Those from the Midwest laugh and those from the
South say, “Sounds reasonable to me!”
Face it; we are impacted by the weather
generated worry – not just regionally but also individually. Several weeks ago
we were visiting our son between Christmas and New Year’s. He lives in the
“snow belt” region of upstate New York due east of Lake Ontario near the Tug
Hill plateau. This region is famous for its lake effect snow storms known for
producing 3-4 feet of whiteout snow conditions. I had been looking forward to
the time spent with him and his family as well as our daughter and her family who
were to join us in the area as well. After arriving in the Boonville region we
started hearing the weather forecaster’s ominous warning of heavy lake effect
snow. By the second day they posted a “Lake Effect Snow Warning” assuring us
that the storm was immanent with more than 2 feet of snow and winds between
30-40 mph. The snowy conditions were to impact our entire route into middle
Pennsylvania. Weather generated worry developed. I began periodically – every
half hour or so – to check the weather forecast on my “tablet.” They concurred
that the forecast did not look good. On the third day we awoke to snow falling
at a pretty good rate. We made the decision shortly after noon to head home
early before conditions deteriorated any further. Meanwhile my son and his
family finalized their plans to meet up with my daughter’s family to go to an
area camp’s automated tubing slope about a half-hour from their house. So as we
packed up to drive six hours south, they bundled up to play in the snow.
Weather generated worry robbed me of the joy and laughter with six
grandchildren. By the way, the next day when we were to leave, the skies were
blue and the roads were clear! Another forecast gone awry!
This experience caused me to reflect on
the words of Jesus to an audience who listened to his Sermon on the Mount in
Matthew 6:25-34. Three times (verses 25, 31, 34) Jesus says to his listeners,
“Do not worry.” The Greek word for “worry” he used there is a combination of
two words – one meaning “to divide” and the other “mind” – thus we could say,
“Stop having a divided mind.” Jesus is telling the people to stop focusing upon
the “what ifs of life” and rather focus upon God who cares for them. The people
that listened to Jesus were focused upon the normal details of life – food,
drink, and dress. Jesus challenges them to focus upon God who knows they need
these things (verse 32). He exhorts them to have faith that God is capable to
see that their needs will be met by him.
Adding to this challenge Jesus asks a
significant question, “Can worry change anything?” (verse 27). Worry can’t
increase the span of life. Collaborating that statement Dr. Charles Mayo of the
renown Mayo Clinic noted, “Worry affects the circulation, the heart, the
glands, and the whole nervous system. I have never known a man or woman to die
of overwork, but I have known a lot who have died of worry.” Our English word
“worry” comes from the German word würgen "to strangle." That is
exactly what worry does to us – it strangles the life out of us.
Jesus concludes this portion of his
message by saying, “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now,
and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will
help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes” (verse 34 The Message). Dave Egner correctly
observes, “Worry superimposes the future on the present… Worriers live in the
future. They spend a disproportionate amount of time speculating on what might
occur, and fearing the worst.” The alternative is to realize, “When tomorrow
arrives, there will be new troubles, but also renewed strength. God has not
given us strength today for tomorrow’s difficulties” (William Hendriksen).
I allowed weather generated worry to rob
me of a fun-filled day on the tubing hill, enjoying grandchildren, creating
memories, and laughing to my heart’s content. They emailed pictures of the day,
but they could not forward the joy. Worry can be a big robber in our lives.
What other things have I allowed it to rob from me because I do not heed Jesus’
admonitions about worry? Charlie Brown said, “I developed a new philosophy… I
dread only one day at time.” I have a better philosophy, “I can live one day at
a time confident that God knows and can supply my needs.”
