“Oh Me Nerves!”
- Scott Bullerwell
- 1 day ago
- 13 min read
Updated: 6 hours ago
A bumper sticker I saw recently on an old weather-beaten Ford Escort, stopped at a red light, had me smiling: "Stress is when you wake up screaming and you realize you weren't asleep." The driver looked to be twenty-something. His Heinz-57 mutt riding shotgun in the passenger seat, his muffler blowing tunes in competition with his screaming radio ... and his long sun-browned elbow perched over the glass window channel like the wing of some great bird of prey ... the guy looked like he did not have a care in the world. “Oh to be young ... and without a care,” I imagined.
According to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (July 9, 2025) “The Canadian workforce is one of the most stressed in the world.” 1 If you think this might be an overstatement, consider the Gallup Survey (State of the Global Workplace [2024 Report]), that noted “... nearly six in 10 respondents (58%) told surveyors they experienced stress “a lot of the day,” a full 18 percentage points higher than the global rate, and more than any regional average.”
“Almost one in four Canadians (24.2%) felt high levels
of time pressure in 2022, compared with
about one in seven (15.0%) in 1992.”
Statistics Canada (2025-06-17)
And that’s just the workforce marketplace. How about the Canadian who learned this week that ... their suspicious mole is indeed cancerous ... that their child feels they are in the wrong body ... or who imagines that the proverbial Sword of Damocles is hanging suspended by a single hair over their financial wellbeing – threatening any day now to ruin any gains made against a mountain of debt? Ipsos released their study ahead of World Mental Health Day (October 10) that showed nearly two-fifths (38%) of Canadians say stress has impacted their daily life ... and 58% think about their mental health often. 2
Well-being is on the decline here in Maple-Leaf-land!!
Regrettably, more meds ... more time off ... and more therapy sessions seem to be ‘go-to’ coping responses.
Now I make no ... No ... NO claim to being a therapist, psychologist, neuropsychologist, psychometrist, sports-coach, life-coach ... or even a fan of Steven Colbert’s nightly wisdom. All have their legitimate place and function and I’m confident the competent ones, Colbert excluded, help make a difference. Not surprisingly, my perspective is decidedly theological, and comes from a sacred point of view, rather than a secular one ... and I am persuaded that Jesus’ perspective in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 6, (vv. 25-43) where he talks about life in his kingdom and our anxiety as believers, can lead to positive outcomes in our daily living. I do!
“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 .... And which of you by worrying can add a single day to his life’s span .... So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
(Mathew 6:25, 27, 34)
Beyond Worry
If you have ever tried playing a violin or guitar when the strings are loose, you will know it is not easy. Tension is essential to melody. Of course, you can tighten the strings of an instrument too much – in which case they may break and make the instrument useless.
Tension! The word aptly describes the current post-Covid environment of many. The word actually has a sister synonym called “Anxiety” and though this younger generation might prefer words like “freaked out” or “goosey”– both are still synonyms for other words like “Stress,” and it’s kissing cousin “Anxiety.” 3
Norman Vincent Peale once remarked of his generation,
“People are so stressed out today they can’t even fall asleep in church.” Now, that’s really sad!
The word “Anxiety” comes from the Latin “Angustia”, meaning shortness of breath, difficulty, distress, perplexity. The root word is “ango” – “to choke”. The Latin word in turn comes from the Greek word “ancho” meaning “to press tight, to strangle, throttle” Presto! It is from these word groups “ancho” and “ango” – that we get the word Angina Pectoris – a heart disease in which there is tightness in the chest, with feelings of suffocation, because of a decrease in blood supply to the heart muscle.
I would offer that the anxiety of our age seems not so much a fear of death, but a fear of life and the emotional memory that comes when folks re-experience previous events they personally encountered or witnessed in the lives of their parents, family or friends – events (whether good or bad) that have left strong path traces in their brain. Trying to remove pathological anxiety is not easy – and for some perhaps reading this blog, character affecting anxiety is no joke; it’s your everyday life. I get it! As I said earlier, I am not here to offer any medical action in the least. What I can do however is point us to the Scriptures for support and freedom.
The passage in Matthew, Chapter 6 is one where the theme of tranquility and trust is wonderfully and comfortably expounded. The verses to consider (vv. 25-34) are obviously connected to the preceding passage, indicated in the NIV by the word “therefore” (lit., for this cause, reason).
The Lord has just said in v. 24 that “No man can serve two masters” – meaning a person cannot simultaneously be devoted to two conflicting authorities. Stately bluntly, if we are His slaves (Romans 6:15-18), then Christians can abandon worrying foresight. How? Well, I would suggest, by observing and practicing the principles that flow out of the Matthew 6:25-34 passage. And to make matters clear here, we should not forget that Jesus specifically has believers in mind. Yes – they have a decided advantage, if they would exercise it.
A 2019 study by Harvard University concluded that our chronic anxiety can even trigger anxiety in our furry friends. So instead of sharing our troubles with our pets, try just scratching behind their ears and
let them sit on your good furniture.
1. The Principle Declared: What we put IN and ON (6:25)
In the opening verse of the section, Jesus declares the general principle concerning what we
eat or drink (IN) and what we wear (ON). The words of the KJV however, “Take no thought” could create a wrong impression – the impression that Jesus is somehow advocating a kind of reckless improvidence. He is not! What he is forbidding is a care-worn, worried fear ... that sucks all of the joy out of life.
The words of verse 25 simply mean, do not be anxious, or as the NIV says, “do not worry about.” This does not mean we hang back and let God do all of the providing, since clearly the Bible reminds us that laziness is a proverbial wrong – right? As the Apostle Paul reminds us “If any would not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Makes sense!
We work to feed and clothe ourselves – precisely the kinds of things that can get in our way on a Sunday morning preparing for church. In a world of 8 billion people, if you happen to live in a 3rd world country, feeding and clothing can be an especially challenging hurdle. Visit a Mumbai slum and watch folks living in squalor, yet ‘dressed’ in cast-off Nike T’s or worn Gucci belts imported from overseas. It’s rather startling to see, I must say. Yes, even a few shreds of clothing can be a significant detail.
So when we are thinking about what we put IN or ON, Jesus says (v. 25) “Take no thought” — In other words, be careful about undue anxiety and care. It’s not the being careful that is the problem. No! It is to be so full of care that it becomes ruinous, harmful, crushing. Jesus is not saying abandon wise foresight in the planning of your life ... just abandon worrying foresight. Again, makes sense!
Follow your anxiety and you will likely trace it
back to things that have too great a hold on your life.
Ask God to help you overcome this imbalance
and be gentle with yourself.
2. The Principle Argued: (Seven reasons NOT to worry)
Argument from Creation (6:25).
Surely God would not have created human life, with its specific needs, and not seen to the provision of our accompanying needs as well. In other words - having made life, every wild blade of grass ... every gnarly olive tree ... every gorgeous Clown fish, and Gold Macaw, would God not provide for its support? But of course he does! Well, it works the same way with the rest of his creation – You and I! Allowing excessive harassing thought to live in our lives is:
harmful to our mental health, because it diminishes our joy, clouds our perceptions and is inconsistent with the spirit of Christianity;
incapacitating us for life’s success, because success in life depends on the wholesome restfulness of our minds;
And lets confess, it is truthfully a sin against God, because it hints at our distrust, ignores his fatherly care and gives a lie to his promises. This is not intended as a judgment here by-the-way - but a simple theological reality.
God will provide for life’s support., says Jesus. Case closed! Be encouraged!
Jesus wants us to take our eyes off the ‘stuff’
that can occupy and consume our life ... and
reorientate ourselves to God. Do this and
we will find our anxieties less controlling.
Argument from Nature (6:26)
Again, the argument is rather simple. It is an argument from the lesser to the greater. Years ago, I had a pooch named Sam. He depended on me to feed him ... walk him ... take him to the doc ... and clean up his doggie doo doo! No wonder he wagged his tail every time he saw me. Even though Sammy was unable to plan for things, not once did I ever see him worry! Never! I mean – Never!
Jesus uses the example of birds, to say the same sort of thing. If birds, who are unable to plan ahead, never worry – then certainly you and I, endowed as we are with intelligence and able to plan for the future – should have no need to feel apprehensive either. Again, this is not an incentive to idleness, as anyone who has watched birds knows. An old poem perhaps says it best:
Said the robin to the sparrow,
I should really like to know
Why these anxious human beings
Rush around and worry so.
Said the sparrow to the robin,
Friend, I think that it must be
That they have no heavenly Father
Such as cares for you and me.
Jesus asks, “Are you not much more valuable than they?” (v. 26). The question I believe is rhetorical! We already know the answer. The heirs of heaven are exceedingly better than our feathered friends. We are nobler ... more excellent ... and by faith, we even soar higher. Think of it - If God feeds His birds . . . he’s not going to starve his babies.
Our phone is not an evil tool, but living in such a hyperconnected world, it can make us feel connected to everyone else’s anxieties. This pressure of always being connected is negatively impacting our mental health and frankly, we ignore it at our own peril. Really!
Argument from Human Inability (6:27)
“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour?” The Authorized Version (AV) uses the word “stature” – but this can mean 2 things: height or age. For example, Zachaeus was small in stature (cf. Lk. 19:3). Sarah was long past the age of conceiving (cf. Hebrews 11:11). The same Greek work is used in both of these passages (also John. 9:21; Matthew 6:27).
A cubit was 18 inches. It is ridiculous to think that anyone would ever consider adding 18 inches to their height by worrying – especially before the days of our modern basketball giants, like rookie Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs (7.2) or Bol Bol of the Phoenix Suns (7.3). Therefore, the much more likely meaning here is that we cannot add time to our lives by worrying – not even the shortest space – a mere 18 inches. Most would agree that anxiety can shorten our life, not extend it. Indeed, “A man may worry himself to death; he cannot worry himself into a longer span of life.” Our times are in God’s hands friend; they are best left there.
Jesus reminds his disciples that total trust and commitment to the will of God brings about the best possible life we could ever live.
Argument from the Flowers (6:28-30)
The lilies of the field here were not lilies, as we understand them in Canada. They were the scarlet poppies and anemones that blossomed for a single day on the hills of Palestine. Yet - their brief life possessed a beauty and a glory that outshone even the likes of Solomon – when clothed in his royal clothing. If his garments were put under the microscope, they would be found to be like sackcloth. Not so the red anemone! The closer it is observed, the more beautiful and exquisite it becomes, says Jesus.
God is such a great gardener! For when we “Consider the lilies” ... (1) we identify God’s care of the little things; not just the sun, but the dew drops too; (2) we see the superiority of the natural over the artificial, for though we make copies (Solomon’s dress), God makes originals (poppies).
The lesson stated here in verse 30 contains what is called, a double argument:
From the lesser to the greater. If God provides for the short-lived grass, he will provide for his children destined to live forever;
From the greater to the lesser. If God decks the wild flowers with such beautiful garments, then He will surely dress His children with the ordinary garments they need.
Nor should we lose sight here of Jesus putting his finger on the problem: “O you of little faith” (v. 30). Again, no judgment here, just truth. I realize it sounds counterintuitive, but Jesus says, deal with the anxious problem indirectly ... by first solving the faith issue of the heart. Great idea!
Argument from the Custom of the Gentiles (6:31-32a)
Worry is a characteristic of the “pagans” (Gentiles), says Jesus. It comes essentially from a distrust of God. In essence, here is what I think Jesus is saying to us – “Look! The gods of the Gentiles are jealous, capricious, unpredictable. They lust just like humans. They lie, cheat, steal, even murder. The gods of the Gentiles seek the things of this world – because they are strangers to a better one.” Messiah’s followers are different (cf. Eph. 2:11-12; 4:17-24). We walk a different path, a nobler path. We have providence and promise!
Argument from Family Ties (6:32b-33)
The believer has a Heavenly Father. And further, His knowledge is present to Him before the believer asks that they be met (cf. 6:8) And this knowledge makes it certain that He will meet the needs He is aware of (cf. Eph. 3:20-21). As the Scriptures say: “No good thing will He withhold from them that walk upright.” (Ps. 84:11)
“I am an old man and have known a great many troubles,
but most of them never happened.”
Mark Twain
Argument from the Day’s Sufficiency (6:34)
Let’s face it - some worry about things for which there is no need to worry. I suspect that is because we jump to conclusions about life ... conclusions that are imagined, but never real. So, what shall we do to remedy this? Defeat worry by living “One day at a time”. As that old song co-written by Marijohn Wilkin and Kris Kristofferson reminds us:
“One day at a time, sweet Jesus
That's all I'm asking of You
Just give me the strength
to do every day what I have to do
Yesterday's gone, sweet Jesus
And tomorrow may never be mine
Lord, help me today,
show me the way
One day at a time.”
If you know the song ... why not hum it in your head throughout today. I often do stuff like that.
Notice that in all Jesus says, he does not say” “Stop Worrying. Pull Yourself Together.” For the spiritually helpless, it would be useless and bad psychology. It is what we call Repression. Nor does he say, “Stop Worrying. It may never happen.” To the simple-minded, it may be popular psychology – but the facts are that it could happen, right? Remember Job? “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me.” (Job 3:25). Yes, things CAN and DO happen! Furthermore, it is not only the larger issues of life that can make folks anxious - things like climate change, pandemics or political parties – but even the smaller things. As Charles Bukoski, insightfully writes ...
“It’s not the large things that send a man to the madhouse . . . No, it’s the continuing series of small tragedies that send a man to the madhouse. Not the death of a loved one, but a shoelace that snaps with no time left.”
“You just obey the instructions.
I’ll take care of the obstructions.”
Scott’s transl. of Matt. 6:25-34
I like what David (Psalm 3:5) said in the midst of his trials and troubles: “I lie down and sleep; I awake again, because the Lord sustains me.” This is the remedy that solves the turmoil of heart and mind. So, the solution does not lie in “stop worrying.” This, I cannot do by myself. It lies in letting God take my cares from me – and this He promises to do. Pause tomorrow’s troubles by trusting God for what is in front of you – today.
So there we have it! “Do not be anxious” ... and Jesus has laid plain the reasons why, as beautifully as anyone can. While the enemy of our souls enjoys nothing more than to constantly terrorize us ... until we find ourselves metaphorically drowning in anxious waters too deep to navigate — the Master ... our Master ... your Master says there is a way out ... a way forward ... a way to handle life-crippling, joy-sucking anxiety.
But here’s my concern: Are we ready to hear and respond? Will we read what Jesus offered his disciples (and by default - you and I) ... but unreasonably conclude it’s ... “just another self-help strategy” ... “just another bit of sage advice” ... “just another coping strategy, of many out there” — and decide not act on what Jesus has just taught? Say yes to Jesus ... not Deepak Chopra. To ignore Jesus’ principles for living a healthy, abundant life – would truthfully be saddening. You see, anxiety does not empty tomorrow of our trials – but it certainly empties today of its joy; anxiety does not empty tomorrow of our sorrow – but it certainly empties today of its strength. The question remains: Why would we choose to stay in that condition when there is no need too? Leave tomorrow’s burdens for tomorrow friend. God wants you to bloom!
“OnlySaying...”
1. https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/canadian-workers-deserve-better-work-life-balance/
2. Ipsos Global Health Service Report, 2024. https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/ipsos-health-service-report
3. Stress and anxiety are not the same thing. Both are emotional responses, with stress typically the result of an external trigger, while anxiety can remain, even in the absence of a stressor. My interest here is not in a forensic evaluation of each word, but a general understanding and application of Jesus’ words in Matthew 6 to a believer’s mental well-being.
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