Psalm 131
Isaiah 49:8-16a
I Corinthians 4:1-5
Matthew 6:24-34
People all over the world eat different varieties of food according to the region in the world in which they live. Urbanized areas, which more and more are becoming the predominant places for humans to live, eat a diet of packaged goods distinct from the natural foods found in rural and somewhat isolated communities. The list of “necessities” of most urban families regarding food and other sundries is long, and it keeps growing. These are some of the “basics” I found at my home today (two adults, two teenagers):
1 BBQ
2 types of milk
3 cars
4 cell phones
5 types of yoghurt
6 radios
7 types of painkillers
8 open Kleenex boxes
9 hair products
18 pillows
22 pairs of pants
34 rolls of toilet paper
Clearly, what my family considers basic is not at all what other families around the world would consider even necessary. And yet, we do not have an electric dishwasher or a microwave and some of our friends who visit us often wonder how we can live without such “basics.” A few weeks ago I had the fortune to buy a new car. Not new new, but new to me: four years old with almost 100,000 miles. I was elated for days. But soon elation gave way to worry: What is that rattling sound I hear? How much will a tune up cost for this car? Will the tires need to be replaced soon? What if a truck runs into me? While elation doesn’t last, worry, it seems, lasts forever. Francis C. Ellis tells about a businessman who wrote down what he called a “Worry Chart,” in which he kept a record of his worries. He discovered that 40 percent of them were about things that probably would never happen; 30 percent concerned past decisions that he could not now unmake; 12 percent dealt with other people’s criticism of him; and 10 percent were worries about his health. He concluded that only 8 percent of them were really legitimate. We hear about an earthquake far away and we worry. We see a neighbor’s car window smashed and we worry. We see prices rising and we worry. We worry that one day all these things we have taken for granted will not be available to us. But our worry goes deeper: we worry that without these things we will not be happy ever again. Jesus teaches that worry is a waste of time, completely incompatible with faith and utterly unchristian: “For the pagans run after these things…(Mt 6:32).” As Christians, the teachings of Jesus help us keep the right perspective when it comes to finding lasting happiness:
Our happiness is found in our Father in heaven. Our basic needs are met there with him; all other “basics” come afterward.
Pastor Alejandro Sotres
