Anything and Everything
“What is your anything and everything”? That was the question posed during Sunday’s sermon on Philippians 4:4-7. The verse is a familiar one:
“Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God and the peace that passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
The verse kicks off with an admonition not to worry about ANYTHING. That doesn’t seem reasonable! Our 21st century way of life does not align with the absence of worry. But before we’re tempted to think that the Bible just doesn’t speak to the concerns of today’s fast-paced world, we should remember Martha and Mary.
In an account from the book of Luke, we have Jesus visiting the home of sisters Mary and Martha. A crowd must have assembled and Jesus was teaching. Anticipating a need to feed and serve the group gathered in her living room, Martha set about preparations. Verse 10:40 says that she was distracted by all the preparations. That sounds like someone who was anxious.
Someone who wasn’t anxious was her sister Mary. Seemingly oblivious to the stress Martha was feeling, Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and took in every word. This frustrated her sister because misery does love company, but Jesus was quick to applaud Mary’s focus.
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things but few things are needed-or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her”.
Jesus’ gentle scolding of Martha is a lesson for us 2000 years later. There is a choice to be made, still. Some people don’t think anxiety is a choice and to be sure some are more innately prone to it than others. But we can choose what is amplified in our lives. Scripture says we are to “take captive every thought” and be “transformed by the renewing of our minds”. The way that we think about things matters. Thought patterns can enhance or alleviate our anxieties.
An old Cherokee legend tells of an elderly warrior sharing life lessons with his grandson:
“Son”, he says, “Within all of us there is a battle of two wolves. One is evil. He is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good-he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside of you and inside of every person, too.” The grandson thought a minute and then asked his grandfather, “which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed”.
To run with this metaphor, maybe there is an “anxiety” wolf and a “joy” wolf in all of us, constantly at war. And maybe we have some measure of control over which wolf wins by virtue of the thoughts we entertain. Our “anything” and “everything” pale in comparison to the peace of Christ, which is what He offers when we feed the right wolf.
~ Melissa Gibbs has been a member of LIFE Fellowship for over 10 years, is the mother to four boys and widow of the late JD Gibbs.