Live each day with confidence

Live each day with confidence

I am something of a worrier. Now that wouldn’t be so bad, but, I know, there are times when my worrying will have an adverse effect on my life. But I also know, that that is very definitely not how God wants me, or us, to live our lives each day. There will be concern for other other things and events in our own lives, that’s a part of what makes us human, but we should try not to let those natural concerns become worries that overtake us, and dominate our lives to the exclusion of all that is good. No, God wants us to live our lives with confidence, full of love and joy and happiness. He calls us to a ‘fullness of life’.

Now I’m not for one minute saying that I don’t have any love, joy and happiness in my life; I most certainly do. But I think, sometimes, I manage to take the edge of those things and spoil them by fretting and worrying about other things — far too much.

I have, in the past, experienced a time when I became extremely ill (mentally) because of anxiety. But that turned out to be mostly down to a rare side-effect from some medication I was taking, and still have to take at a lower dose. However, it certainly wasn’t helped by my natural tendency to worry.

Jesus tells us that we shouldn’t worry about the future in the Sermon on the Mount, that great block of our Lord’s teaching:

“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today” Matthew 6.34.

I’m a great one for telling others not to worry. I even suggested in a sermon once that people should give up worrying for Lent. But I always think that the first person I’m preaching to in my sermons is me.

I’m sure there are many things we should be doing to truly live the lives that God wants us to. But one thing we shouldn’t be doing is worrying.

Are you listening to yourself Paul? Yes! Will it stop you worrying? To be honest, probably not. It’s a part of what makes me, me. But I will try to keep it from overtaking my life; and to live each day with confidence.

God, our judge and saviour,
teach us to be open to your truth
and to trust in your love,
that we may live each day
with confidence in the salvation which is given
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Additional Collect for The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity
is Copyright © The Archbishops Council