May 8, 2026 - One thing that most of us excel at is wasting time. Though day planners are available in many sizes and styles, though Paul encouraged us to “Redeem the time for the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16) we are still proficient in failing to use our time wisely.
Probably our preferred method of time wasting comes with worry and anxiety. Do you remember what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount? He left us this admonition in Matthew 6:34, ““Don’t worry at all then about tomorrow. Tomorrow can take care of itself! One day’s trouble is enough for one day.” (Phillips). Yet, how many of us actually listen to those words, much less heed them? We start worrying early in the morning and allow our anxiety to intensify as the day progresses. If we are short on a supply of things to worry about, we can watch cable news or check the news apps on our phone. We can then be sure we will have enough bad news, doomsday reports, human tragedies and late breaking calamities to keep our mind churning well into the evening hours. If that isn’t enough, then we can worry about our failures and mistakes, things we should’ve done or could’ve done and failed to do. We can worry about our weight, our health, the reality of aging - you name it, we can worry about it.
God did not intend for us to live this way. When you are tempted to worry and fret and let anxiety take hold of your life, remember what Peter encouraged us to do when he told us to cast our care upon Jesus because he cares for us (I Peter 5:7).
It’s something to think about... tbp
Center Church of Christ
www.centerchurchofchrist.com
