The headlines have been dominated by the grim economic news we have been hearing for a few years now. Countless stories of foreclosures, job loss, and lost savings have been ubiquitous in both the local and national news. If glancing over your bank statement does not indicated that we have a ways to go before we are out of the recession, just turn on the TV.
People are spread thinner than they have been in recent memory. Financial stress is only magnified when trying to balance the demands of work and home life. I know I certainly can use more time and money and there are people much worse of than myself.
It’s times like these where our stress can lead to despair. It’s times like these where we must look to the words of Christ and the Saints to receive comfort. It’s times like these where we should listen to the words of Bobby McFerrin, Timon, and Pumbaa.
I will explain.
Bobby McFerrin’s biggest hit was on the soundtrack for the movie “Cocktail.” I remember listening to a cassette tape of that soundtrack in my parents’ house years ago and trying to sing along to McFerrin’s fun-loving song of optimism, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” One part of that song I really like is:
“In your life expect some trouble / But when you worry / You make it double / Don't worry, be happy!”
Timon and Pumbaa, the meerkat and warthog that the lion cub Simba meets in “The Lion King” would concur with Bobby McFerrin. They had a “trouble free philosophy” called “Hakuna matata” which is a Swahili saying meaning “There are no worries.”
If the wisdom of Disney characters and a one-hit wonder haven’t given you solace about all that is going on in the world, then look to one of the more contemporary Saints of the Church. St. Pio of Pietrelcina, or as he is more commonly known, Saint Padre Pio, was an extraordinary man who lived from 1887 until 1968. That was not that long ago in the grand scheme of things. (Google his name some time to read about spiritual gifts he received such as stigmata, levitation, and bilocation).
Padre Pio took the notion of not worrying and added additional encouragement to pray and hope. His appeal to “Pray, hope, and don’t worry” is often quoted and is a message that I think can be applied to any situation where our first inclination is to worry.
Padre Pio’s sentiment is true to the gospel. Check out Matthew 6: 16-19:
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 clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say, 'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to drink?' or 'What are we to wear?' All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.
I am not trying to diminish the reality of the issues facing so many people. I know that things can seem overwhelming. The reality is that sacrifices will be made and family budgets will be altered. Even if the economy improves there will always be struggles in your life and lives of others.
The thing though that we ought to remember is that we should never despair. Like the gospel said, seek first the kingdom and God and He will provide for you. God knows your needs and like any loving father, He desires to provide for you. Trust in his providence.
So when things seem overwhelming, you should pray, hope, and don’t worry… and be happy.
Hakuna matata and God Bless.
Great post, Dan. For the past eight months or so, I've been trying to live my life by the parallel wording that appears in Luke 12. There's one particular verse (Lk 12:26) that I've had taped to my computer monitor at work for months. "If even the smallest things are beyond your control, why are you anxious about the rest?"
ReplyDeleteIt's really difficult to take those words to heart, especially when so many things are going on around us. I used to be a control freak, and I still have that tendency. But when I read that verse, I remember that even the little things -- the things I *think* I have control over -- are really beyond my control too. At first that was a disturbing feeling. But it can be very liberating too.