Many years ago—and this goes back to before sonograms and back when men were just NOT in delivery rooms while their children were being born, as is common today—several men sat in the special waiting room for expectant fathers in a large hospital.
Eventually a nurse came into the room with a chart and said, “Mr. Johnson?” A tall, young man stood up and said, “That’s me!” The nurse said, “Congratulations, Mr. Johnson, you’re the father of healthy, happy twins!” The young man started jumping up and down excitedly and says, “That’s amazing. Would you believe I’m a professional baseball player, and I play for the Minnesota Twins?! Imagine, me being a member of the Twins, and then becoming the father of twins myself!” The man was happily escorted away to be with his wife and children.
A few minutes later, the nurse walks into the room again and says, “Mr. Williams?” Another man stands and says, “Yes, I’m Mr. Williams.” The nurse says, “Mr. Williams, I don’t know how to tell you this—I’ve worked here more than 30 years and have never seen this happen before. The one man just became the father of twins, and now I’m happy to tell you, you’re the new father of healthy, happy triplets!” Again, the man jumps up and down excitedly and says, “That’s wonderful news! I’m so happy! And would you believe, I work for the 3M company? Imagine, I work for 3M, and here I’m the father of triplets!”
Just then, one of the men expectant fathers jumps up and runs screaming out of the room.
Stunned, the nurse asks, “What was that all about?”
Another man says, “I have no idea, he seemed like such a nice, normal, regular guy. We had just been making small talk when you came in—he was telling me about his job at 7-Up.”
Now THERE’S a man, who perhaps began worrying a little bit sooner than he needed to. And thank goodness he didn’t work at 31 Flavors ice cream, he may have jumped out the window!
Well, our nervous father-to-be in our story would probably do well—as we all would—to recall what scripture has to say about worry and fear and anxiety.
Jesus taught in Matthew, chapter 6, beginning at verse 25, we are to, “Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?”
Skipping down to verse 33, we read that, rather than worry about all these things—about all that might happen to us—we should, “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
And yes, despite the immediate and understandable panic of the father in our story, I believe “all things” would include enough food, diapers and anything else needed to take care of even SEVEN children.
So, next time you’re tempted to worry, I want you to do this. I want you to go outside and look at a flower, and ask yourself, does this flower look particularly worried? If the answer is no, then take heart, look at that flower and say to yourself, look how beautiful this little flower is, and if this flower, here today, bringing its brief moment of beauty to the world, and then gone tomorrow, isn’t worried, why should I?
Be of good cheer, friend, for as we read in John 16:33, He, has overcome the world.
