Meeting Plans

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life” Jesus asked in Matthew 6:27. And the answer is, we can't. Worrying is probably the least productive thing that we can do with our time. It is completely fruitless. There is a difference between worry and forethought. Forethought, even anxious forethought, is positive – it looks at a possible situation, and provides a contingency plan: health and safety planning comes into this category. “What if one of the kids is a complete nut case and jumps over the edge of the ramp? We'd better put crash mats all round.” It is necessary to plan, to be prepared for what might happen. Jesus did not condemn that - He Himself was working to a plan!

Worry, however, does not look for answers. Worry means lying awake thinking, “But if one of them falls, then the parents will take us to court and the Youth Group will shut down and we will be in all the papers and I'll go to prison, and…” and it is fruitless! Worry is often non-specific: it isn't fear – fear is more specific, a response to a direct stimulus, and it can be faced. The two over link somewhat: you can worry about being in a situation where you have to face up to fears. Worry is a heavy lump in the brain, which stops us from moving forward. We worry about what people might think of us, and so do nothing.

Children worry, too. In many ways, their world is more insecure than ours because so much of what happens to them is dictated by the adults in their lives. In addition they often don't understand why things happen the way they do. When an adult goes through something, it sends a tidal wave through the child's emotional security. Children worry about their parents divorcing: about losing contact with the other parent; and, about what changes step parents or step siblings are going to make in their lives. These are all things over which they have no control. One in three marriages end in divorce – so a good percentage of the members of our youth groups will be worrying over things that are going on in their home situations, and they may, or may not, verbalise these. Children also worry that they will not be taken seriously, that adults will repeat confidences, that friends will betray their trust. This makes it hard for them to open up sometimes.

Children are also under increasing pressure to perform well. SATs at seven and eleven mean that for two of their primary years they are being coached for tests, and even seven year olds feel the pressure of this.

The antidote to worry is trust. We serve a God who is in control of everything that happens. Instead of worrying, playing a mental record of “what ifs”, we need to sit back and trust God that He will work everything together for good, whatever happens.

Today's activities aim to show that worry is a paralysing force, something that stops us from progressing, whereas focussing on Jesus gives us strength and the opportunity to live life to the full.

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