S5 E11 - A Screeching Rock

A had the most horrid sound coming from my car, and after googling the car's symptoms I began to be worried it was going to be a huge fix. Turns out $40 it was something very small, literally. I guess that's the way it goes, usually the things we worry about don't ever happen. 

Jesus teaches us not to worry, to not be anxious. Usually, the thing's were anxious about aren't important anyways. Jesus promises he knows our needs and will meet them, and we can't fix anything through worry. We need to trust him, seek his kingdom first, and know he'll work out the rest. 

#SetYourMindAbovePodcast

Transcript

What if I told you that God could be seen in the most ordinary things every day? 

What if I told you that every day, ordinary events could teach us extraordinary eternal truths? Would you believe me? 

 Welcome back to season 5 of the Set Your Mind Above Podcast! My name is BJ Sipe, and I am a Christian, a preacher, a husband, and a father. And I’m excited to share a few moments together with you learning some important lessons from the simplest things. Let’s grow together! 

I love cars, but I’m not exactly what you would call a “car guy”. I’m sure that many of you can relate. You enjoy cars, appreciate them, perhaps even dream of one day having an old muscle car or vintage truck; but when it comes to the nuts and bolts – it’s not exactly your field of expertise. Don’t get me wrong, I can do all the basics. I had a good dad who taught me how to change a tire, change the oil, and things of that nature. Shoot, I even completely rewired and replaced the side mirrors in a couple of different cars. But when it comes to bigger issues – that’s when it gets far beyond my paygrade. That’s exactly where I was this morning. We had just wrapped up our weekly Friday morning Bible study at a local coffee shop when I jumped in my car to head home and get back to work. I threw it in reverse to make enough space to pull out onto main street when I heard the absolute worst screeching sound I have ever heard. It sounded like metal on metal, and I was sure I had backed into something. I quickly checked my mirrors and rearview camera and everything was just fine, so I thought it must have been something else echoing off the buildings of our small little downtown area. As I pulled out, the screeching started back up after a few seconds. Now I knew it was me, and there was a problem with my car. 

I started going through my limited checklist of things it could be. Maybe it’s the brakes? Nope – in fact, the sound would stop when I applied the brake. Odd. Maybe it’s the serpentine belt? Nope, it was coming from the back of the car. Uh oh…maybe it’s a problem with the exhaust system or the wheel bearings? I pulled over into our church parking lot which thankfully was just a couple of blocks away and called the autobody shop. As I described what was going on, they said for sure to get it in right away and they would get to the bottom of what was happening to the car and restore it to safe driving conditions. 

Before I pulled out of the parking lot, I did the worst thing I could possibly have done – googled it. It’s like when you get sick and go onto WebMD to try and make a self-diagnosis, and then your mind goes to the absolute worst-case scenario? That’s what was going on here. The more I read what it possibly could be, the higher the dollar signs got behind the explanations. Anxiety hit – great, we’re gonna have to fork out upwards of a grand to fix this thing. I dropped it off and one of our shepherds Randy came to my rescue to pick me up and take me home until the shop called with a verdict. 

A couple of hours later, I was sitting in my chair at home working when my phone rang – it was the autobody shop. “We’ve got your car ready, Mr. Sipe,” they said in a chipper tone on the other end. That gave me some hope. “Oh, good deal!” I replied, “what did it end up being?” The answer I heard back was the least expected, “It was a rock.” “A rock!?!” I laughed, “where?” “Well, a rock had somehow gotten wedged in between the brake pad and the caliper, and that’s what was making that awful shrieking noise. Had to take it all apart, it was really in there!” Well, I’ll be. A screeching rock. As I picked up the car and happily settled a bill 1/20th the size of what I was expecting, I told the mechanic how thankful I was that my worst fears had not actually happened. “That’s the way it goes in life, isn’t it?” he said, “usually the things we worry the most about never really happen.” 

Well, isn’t that the truth! We are a people of worry, aren’t we? We worry about a little bit of everything in our lives. We’re worried about the wellbeing of our families and our future. We worry about our country and those in governing offices. We worry about the weather, worry about the economy, worry about our jobs, worry about relationships, worry about health, and worry about our favorite sports teams. To sum it up – we can tend to be pretty anxious people. But it’s not just a generational problem, it’s a human problem. At least in how it translates in the Christian Standard Bible, look at how frequently these topics are discussed in Scripture.  Worry is found 25 times. Anxious 11 times. Anxiety 5 times. And the imploration, “do not fear” is found 26 times in Scripture. Needless to say, we as people have always struggled a great amount with worry. 

How greatly then do the words of Jesus stand in direct contrast to our worrisome lives? Jesus would say six words that seem absolutely impossible right in the middle of his sermon on the mount. He would say, “Do not worry about your life.” When it comes to life, we worry. We’re professionals. And yet Jesus comes on the scene and says don’t? How Jesus? And why? Knowing our hearts and anticipating such questions, Jesus would provide an answer. 

First, because often times the things are anxious over are not important. Let’s start in Matthew 6:25, where Jesus says, ““Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?” Now, don’t hear what Jesus is not saying. Jesus is not suggesting that food and clothing are not important – obviously we need them, and the Lord knows this (more on that in a minute). Instead, think about what Jesus says – is life not more than these? I think in our chaotic world, we can tend to be Martha instead of Mary. Remember the text of Luke 10:38-42, “Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” That’s me. I’m Martha. Worried and bothered about so many things. And yet the “things” I’m often worried and bothered about in the grand scheme of things really aren’t that important.  In fact, they frequently distract me from what really is important – the things above. 

Second, because anxiety does not help to fix any of our problems nor change the outcomes.  Jesus would go on to say in vv. 27, “Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying?” Well…can we? Actually, the opposite is quite true. Anxiety takes a great toll on our lives, weighing us down and causing us physical, emotional, and spiritual pain. In fact, studies show that anxiety is associated with higher risk of heart attack, stroke, and other cardiac problems – with some studies suggesting as much as a 26-41% increase in risk. Jesus knows this all too well, after all – he created us. He knows, pardon the pun, what makes our ticker tick. He would go on to say in vv. 34, “Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Jesus instructs us to stay focused on today. Obviously, he’s not teaching against being a good steward, careful planning, or forward thinking. But he is teaching against needless anxiety for things that in all likelihood will never even happen, just like me and my car. We’re not even promised tomorrow, and yet we waste today being worried about it. So, anxiety doesn’t fix anything…but Jesus directs us to the one who does. 

Finally, Jesus will explain how we can achieve such an attitude – by remembering the provision & faithful love of the Lord.  Go back to Matthew 6 with me, and let’s read the majority of this text together starting in vv. 26, “Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? ... And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t he do much more for you—you of little faith? So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” This is what the Lord has said – the things that we actually need physically have already been taken care of for those who place their faith in him. We are of incredible value to God, more than anything else in his creation. And if his creation is provided for, what would make us think we won’t be as the very children of God who have far superior worth? So take anxiety for those things right off the table – there is no need to be anxious for them. Instead, we must concern ourselves, like Jesus told Martha, with the one thing that is necessary: seek first the kingdom of God & his righteousness. My friends, put your faith and trust in God – don’t not fear, but believe. Let us conclude with the words of 1 Peter 5:6-7, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” 

This has been the Set Your Mind Above Podcast, season 5 episode 11 – and I’m so thankful that we had this time to grow together! A new episode is dropped every Friday, so be sure to tune in next week.  Also, if you’re able to, go ahead and like and subscribe to the podcast, give us a good rating or most importantly share it with someone else – it would help to reach others that I never could alone.  And more than anything, always remember the following: know that I love you, that God loves you, and may we all each and every day set our minds above.