Worry is a sin

Today’s reading: Luke 12: 22-31

A few weeks ago my Sunday school group’s leader led with this question: is it a sin to worry.

My immediate response was an emphatic, “Yes, of course it is!” Others nodded.

But  then the group launched right into a long list of  “legitimate” reasons for worry:  a loved one hasn’t checked in as scheduled; a savings account is running low; the car is making a funny noise; a big report is overdue; a diagnosis calls for major surgery. As the list went on, I looked around the table and saw that I was the only one shaking my head.

A couple of people made the point that “legitimate” worry is a good thing because it catches our attention and causes us to behave responsibly.

I kept shaking my head. 

No one said so, but I think I irritated a few of my friends.

So be it. They’re still my friends. I trust God enough to know that I am right to object to their faulty logic.

The fact is that no sin is legitimate. And worry is certainly a sin.  Today’s reading — along with probably hundreds of other verses that I could point to, if pressed — makes that perfectly clear. Jesus tells us, very specifically, not to do it, and I see no reference to exceptions.

Like my Sunday school friends, I do find myself motivated by worry (and fear) to make responsible decisions. For example, just last night I worried that my blood sugar levels have been too high lately, so I opted to make a salad for dinner instead of ordering a pizza.That was a good decision.

But the motivation was wrong.

Had my thoughts been more in line with The Truth, I would have chosen the salad simply because following a healthy diet — taking good care of my body — gives glory to God.

Anything that keeps me disconnected from God, even slightly, is not a good thing. And worry is always a sign that I am disconnected from God.

A much discussed recent tragedy is a perfect case-in-point.

Famous para-Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius has desperately denied that he murdered his girlfriend on Valentine’s day, and media report that his defense  will likely be that he shot her because he thought she was an intruder.

I’ve seen much discussion that Pistorius has been “outspoken” in recent months about crime in his city, and specifically in his neighborhood. He is, apparently, well known throughout South Africa for encouraging others to arm themselves and to keep their homes tightly secure.  One news story I saw said he kept a machine gun near the window of his bedroom, and a pistol on his nightstand — all of this inside his home that is already protected by a myriad of alarms and locks.

If this does turn out to be a case of Pistorius simply being tragically surprised, I pray that it will call the world’s attention to the dangerous, even deadly, sin of worry.

Thanks be to God for giving me (and all of us)  freedom from all fear and worry. May I always remember to accept that glorious gift.