Walker Miles teetered on an edge between hope and depression. But his hope was nothing more than a chance for happiness. An elusive sense of joy was always beyond Walker’s grasp. His mind filled with worries, Walker’s first wife compared him to Eeyore, the pessimistic friend of Winnie the Pooh.
But Walker’s life was about to steer onto a different road. Unsure why he backed up to ask an elderly man if he needed help, Walker found himself with an uninvited passenger sitting next to him.
Welcome to episode two of our series, Perspective. This week, our theme is gratitude and why it comes from the same root word as grace. These two ideas, eternally linked, became the answer to Walker’s dilemma. But he needed Jones to help him see the connection.
“It’s time to stop letting your history control your destiny,” Jones advised Walker. “The first thing you need to know is that you worry — or you feel this crazy fear — because you’re smart.”
While it may seem smart to worry, Jesus reminds us that worry doesn’t change outcomes and certainly doesn’t increase our lifespan. Although doing something about the reason for your worry might.
Jones told Walker, “Worry … fear … is just a misuse of the creative imagination that has been placed in each of us…it is your own imagination with which you are doing battle … Worry is focus! But it is focus on the wrong things.” Is this all it takes to quit worrying? I just change my focus?
Americans, I’m told, are most worried about inflation. Although, In their “What Worries the World” report for July, Ipsos noted a substantial increase in the number of respondents who believe the U.S. economy is in good shape. And inflation seems under control and some prices are even falling.
But not food prices.
According to a Washington Post article published this past February, the price of groceries increased 25% over the past four years. Inflation was around 19% during the same period. Fortunately, the amount we pay for most other commodities is coming down, but not for rotisserie chicken. However, grocery price increases dropped below 2% from almost 12% the year before.
Factors outside the control of legislation, presidents, and even the Federal Reserve have a larger impact on the price we pay at the grocery store. So this means political promises to bring down food prices are pure bull excrement. Politicians don’t set the prices ringing up at the grocery store checkout.
On the other hand, one factor affecting food prices we all take part in is climate change. Farmers rely on cooperating weather patterns which no longer cooperate. Another factor is Russia’s war against Ukraine substantially affected food prices globally.
Jones also told Walker, “The seeds of depression cannot take root in a grateful heart.” This makes sense according to a rather large number of studies that looked at the effect of gratitude on well-being.
After all, there is a lot for us to be thankful for, including the possibility of reducing our worry by focusing on gratitude.
An article posted in 2019 by the Foundation for Economic Education boldly claimed, “Showing gratitude can serve as a light that can help lead us back to where we need to be when we get lost in darkness.” The article cited results from an Indiana University research among college students struggling with anxiety and depression.
Followers of Jesus Christ know not only there is much to be grateful for, there is also real joy and a peace that transcends human understanding. Most of us are familiar with Psalm 23. In this short poem, God expresses divine grace promised to each of us.
First, God is the good Shepherd leading us to that which we need and crave. And God offers us abundance. And although we share scarcity, we can also share abundance.
The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need.
Psalm 23
Often, in our upside-down economy, we see the greedy enriched and the humble shutdown. As we know it, the world rewards military might with prestige and wealth.
The world resists the leadership of the divine Shepherd in favor of promises made by louder voices, with what sounds to be larger and quicker returns. The logic is hard to resist, and believers are also prone to falling for its lure.
After all, don’t we accumulate more by holding onto what we have and taking it away from others? While this strategy sometimes works in the short term, the answer is no.
Provision in God’s economy comes from showing our gratitude for God’s abundance by sharing. And abundance comes from serving each other. So when scripture says, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I have everything I need.” we hear a testimony of someone who truly believes that this is the only way to live.
You can join us each Sunday in person or online by clicking the button on our website’s homepage –Click here to watch. This button takes you to our YouTube channel. You can find more information about us on our website at FlintAsburyChurch.org.
A reminder that we publish this newsletter that we call the Circuit Rider each week. You can request this publication by email. Send a request to FlintAsburyUMC@gmail.com or let us know when you send a message through our website. We post an archive of past editions on our website under the tab, Connect – choose Newsletters.
Pastor Tommy
Parts of our series was inspired by Leo Buscaglia. Personhood: The Art of Being Fully Human. NY: Random House,1986.
“What Worries the World?,” © Ipsos, July 2024. Link.
Abha Bhattarai and Jeff Stein. “Inflation has fallen. Why are groceries still so expensive?” © Washington Post, February 2, 2024. Link.