What Are You Worried About?
Like most of you I’ve been bombarded 24/7 by the media with a constant stream of doom and gloom surrounding the pandemic. I started to wonder what God must think about our panicked reaction to these events. What is the source of our worry? Are we even worrying about the right things? More importantly, how does God want us to handle times like these?
Jesus tells us in Matthew 6: 19-21, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”.
So in the situation we are facing today, what exactly is being threatened by the “vermin” which is in this case the coronavirus? It certainly threatens our personal health represented by our physical body. It threatens the health of our friends and loved ones. It threatens our financial well-being by disrupting our jobs through social distancing and quarantines, as well as our investments. Finally, it threatens our mental health because of the worry about all of these things.
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”
Matthew 6: 21
What do all of these concerns have in common? They represent the worries surrounding the things we treasure here on earth. However, Jesus tells us that we should not worry about the earthly treasure which will all fade away into dust. Instead, He tells us to store for ourselves and be concerned about our eternal treasure in heaven where no virus, natural disaster, or any other worldly calamity can reach.
In my experience, the source of most worry is the fear of losing something you care deeply for or something that is so valuable to you that you can’t imagine doing without it. This is what Jesus means when he says “for where your treasure is there will be your heart also”. The heavenly treasure Jesus speaks about is represented by the grace given to us freely through his sacrifice on the cross for our sins. This is the treasure we need to be concerned about the most.
Jesus makes it even clearer how much more important this heavenly treasure is when he said, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matthew 16:26). He is telling us that the thing we cannot live without is our relationship with Him and if you have that then you have nothing to worry about.
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Matthew 6: 33-34
