The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Matthew 6:25-34, “”For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
26 “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?
27 “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?
28 “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow;
they do not toil nor do they spin,
29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of
these.
30 “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is
thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!
31 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What
will we wear for clothing?’
32 “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows
that you need all these things.
33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be
added to you.
34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has
enough trouble of its own.”

There’s an old adage that says that opposites attract. My parents were both devout Christians. At the same time, they were quite opposite in many ways! My Dad never worried about anything! My Mother, on the other hand, worried about everything!
We lived next door to a couple who were “addicted” in the same way, only she never worried about anything, while he worried about everything.

I remember him saying to my mother: “Velma, don’t let anyone tell you that it doesn’t
pay to worry! Nothing I ever worried about ever happened!” Both of them had a problem.

“Worry” (????????, merimnao) means to be anxious about something — anything. It
constitutes doubt on our part and, simultaneously, challenges the LORD’s ability to
provide what is right and needed. Imagine challenging the LORD –saying that He
was wrong…that He could not provide something we thought we needed, when all
along He was keeping us from something that would have been to our detriment.

Good parents do the same thing. It’s just that parents are human, and humanity leads
us all into a lot of mistakes! Still, don’t hesitate to engage in something out of fear
that you will fail or cause someone else to fail. Be prayerful! Trust in the LORD! He
is the Good Parent and free from the encumbrances that befall all mortal beings.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom