Step 2: We came to believe that a power greater than outselves could restore use to sanity.

February 20

Scripture reading for today: Acts 20 – 21

“As Paul spoke on and on, a young man named Eutychus, sitting on the windowsill, became very drowsy. Finally, he fell sound asleep and dropped three stories to his death below. Paul went down, bent over him, and took him into his arms. “Don’t worry,” he said, “he’s alive!” Then they all went back upstairs, shared in the Lord’s supper, and ate together. Paul continued talking to them until dawn, and then he left. Meanwhile, the young man was taken home unhurt, and everyone was greatly relived. Acts 20:9-12 NLT

What a strange story! I don’t know quite what to make of it – except to say that I’m glad no one has ever responded like this when I was teaching (that I noticed)! The other observation is Paul’s one instruction: “Don’t worry.”

I was at a meeting yesterday when a lady introduced herself as “the worry wart in the group” – and she sounded quite proud! Scripture is full of exhortations to “not worry” and “fear not”…so is it good to be a worrier? Many people believe that worrying is a sign of loving concern. I’ve discovered that for me, worrying is usually more an indicator of unbelief.

Worry is bad for the body. According to Dr. Don Colbert, M.D., in his book Deadly Emotions, untreated anxiety leads to a host of physical symptoms (which we tend to treat as if they are the root problem) including: tension headaches, digestive-tract problems, skin eruptions, sleeplessness, weight loss or gain, muscle aches (especially back and leg), lethargy, feelings of exhaustion, sluggish thinking, and lack of ambition. Ignoring these symptoms results in disease – the kinds that require surgery, chemotherapy, medications and other serious treatment protocols.*

Perhaps you remember that the book of Galatians reminds us that we “reap what we sow” (see Galatians 6). I wonder if we’ve missed this point as it applies to our health. If we fail to “come to believe” and to allow a “Power greater than ourselves to restore us to sanity” we are reaping a body that will get sick. (I am not suggesting that all sickness is the result of sin.) It seems to me that when we fail to believe (and become chronic worriers) then we are reaping what we’ve sown – and our bodies show the wear and tear of this persistent unbelief. That’s kind of crazy, isn’t it?

Worry has little to do with love. It has a lot to do with confusion about who’s in control and what intentions this “Power” has towards us. Sometimes what we call noble is called unbelief in the kingdom of heaven; what we call inconsequential and un-noteworthy – Jesus calls big believing. A small little story, some guy falls out a window – tucked into the middle of scripture, with one instruction: don’t worry. The point was not – look at the cool miracle that the guy survived the fall, it was not about how Paul healed the sleepy nor was it limit all sermons to ten minutes – it was simply, don’t worry.

Thought for today :

While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins.

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.” Luke 21:1-4 NLT

Thought for tomorrow: Who would fault the poor widow for holding off on giving two coins? No one expected her to give. No one even valued her offering – small token that it was – surely the church treasurer was paying more attention to how much the big givers were going to toss in the plate! But Jesus took another view. She gave without fear because she knew in whom she trusted – with no apparent anxiety. Jesus commends this perspective. In the heavenly realms she’s royalty. I pray that today you will have Jesus’ view of your life - I pray that you will come to value the things that seem small in this world – that Jesus calls huge in the heavenlies. I pray that this “coming to believe” kind of realization will fill you with peace that passes all understanding. Don’t worry. Fear not. March on.

February 20
Teresa McBean

* Paraphrased from Deadly Emotions, by Dr. Don Colbert, Thomas Nelson Press, 2003, p.7.

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