“Hakuna Matata! what a wonderful phrase. Hakuna Matata! Ain’t no passing craze. It means no worries for the rest of your days.” This is part of a song from the movie, The Lion King. As a kid growing up I even considered my life motto long before “YOLO” became a phenomenon. As I grew up and responsibilities began to pile up, worries and stress became more evident, and after numerous accounts of “what happened to my childhood” moments, it was clear as often as I told myself and others not to worry at times, I worried a lot.

As I reflect on the past Sunday service’s preaching, I’m thankful for the Lord for the opportunity to be reminded and to truly learn why we should not worry. As we learned about Matthew 6:25-34 as Jesus was delivering His Sermon on the Mount, He commanded His audience not to worry for doing so was pointless for their well-being and in actuality a demonstration of faithlessness. He reminded them that there was more to life than anything else, more than the food, clothing, health and finance which many people valued back then and still do so today.

He points out the following in His argument which applies to us today:

• You are valuable to God (v26-27) illustrating that they’re no less valuable than the birds that the Lord feeds;
• You are sufficiently provided (v28-30) more so than the plants who do not labor or spin for their needs;
• God knows what your needs are (v31-32) long before you even ask Him;
• That’s why you need to put God first above all things in life (v33-34) seeking His kingdom and His righteousness before worry or stress even set in

Not worrying is not a matter of not caring whatever happens to you but rather leaving it up to God in many situations you face in life that are beyond your control. When there are times you are worrying or stressed out, remember that prayer is a lifeline always available for you, replace your anxious thoughts, give thanks, and most importantly, as words from a famous song title would say, “don’t worry, be happy.” Don’t worry and be happy as followers of Jesus to be able to put confidence in Him.