The Cool Word For Worry (Stress)

Matthew 6:25-34 (NASB) " 25"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,29yet 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."

Do you ever feel like you can fool God with your terminology?

Not that I've EVER tried this out, but maybe someone could be talking about the stress in their life (hypothetically) when in reality, they are really talking about WORRY. 

The Oxford English Dictionary has lots of definitions for worry, one of them is: To be choked, to choke. 

Here's one (same source) for stress: To abridge the liberty of; to confine, incarcerate.

Both of these sound a lot like my week before a school break, or like what I do when my perfect little plan gets out of whack. 

Do I say "Oh, well, I should just seek the Kingdom of God!" Well, honestly, not as often as I would like to. 

I don't want to be suffocating and constrained and withheld. These things surround and hold me back. 

Here at Taylor, it is very cool to talk about your stress. "Oh yeah, I'm just stressing about this research project/group presentation/paper/test" you wouldn't say, "Oh yeah, I'm just being choked by these things."

Even if you want to get literal, when you are worried and stressed, your breathing becomes more shallow. There is a reason that you are told to take deep breaths when you are in this state. We, my friends, are being strangled. 

While writing this entry, I shared another definition of worry with a friend of mine: To seize by the throat with the teeth and tear or lacerate; to kill or injure by biting and shaking. 

His response: "that sounds like finals week." 

Paul, in Philippians, says this:  "6Be anxious [Fraught with trouble or solicitude, distressing, worrying. OED] for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Chapter 4:6-7 NASB)

I'm talking to myself today, I need to hear this, grace and peace to you, my friends...