Cubits of Life

Matthew 6:27 - For which of you by worrying is able to add even one cubit to your life/stature/maturity?

I like the mixed metaphor. The image of life as a measure of distance. I like the interpretation of pychun as stature and even more as maturity. I don't think maturity is what is meant here as he is talking about worrying about your life. The plain sense is that we cannot prolong our lives by worrying. It does no good.

But looking at the triple definition and combining that with the mixed metaphor the sentence becomes more profound. Not only will worrying help us to live longer, but is will also not help us to be more mature, taller, etc. Worrying won't help anything! No matter what you are worrying about, your worry alone will accomplish nothing. It will keep you stuck and paralyzed, unable to do anything.

Combining this with our meditations of the past few days, I can see that Jesus is calling us to belief in the sense of trust, love, and faith. God has provided, God is providing, and God will provide. I am reminded of a man I met at the bus yesterday. He had obviously been in a fire - his face looked melted. He had no eyebrows and no hair. The skin was smooth and scarred. Yet he was full of such joy! He talked about looking for a job and how good God was. All the time.

My goal in the Christian life is to be able to understand how people in such straits can exhibit such hope. Sometimes I can glimpse it. I want to do more than glimpse such hope. I want to live in it. Worrying will definitely not get me there!

So today I want to put all the stresses of the past week in a box and had it over to God: the finances, the bedbugs, the arguments, the tiredness, Cathy, Bud, Cleveland. All of it. I cannot do anything today and continuing to worry will not move me forward. Instead, today I choose to focus on the next right thing. Somehow all of this will work out. In the meantime, I want to be joyful rather than anxious.

God help me.
B