Worry About the Future

 

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Matthew 6:34
King James Version
³⁴ Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

 

We had a much-loved teacher of creative writing at our Goeske Senior Center. When the COVID-19 struck us in 2020 she started teaching us using Zoom. This continued through January of 2021. Since the class was virtual, the students didn’t have to be local, nor did they have to be older than 50. She gained several international students. She was having a bit of trouble with one of the international students trying to dictate what she should do. This added to her already stressful life. She was a cancer survivor, and her health was already tenuous. Then in February we lost all contact with her. Her landlord found she had passed away in her own apartment.

I chatted with several of her students, and they all wanted us to continue as a workshop. So, I got a Zoom account and contacted those I had e-mails for. Since then, we have met virtually. Inlandia Institute works closely to promote the fine arts in the Inland Empire—a group of inland suburbs of Los Angeles.  They have taken us under their wing and are helping support us.

My wife, Sylvia, is a gifted writer and poet and has also been a strong supporter of the workshop. Monday, amongst her many projects, she was worried that she wouldn’t have something written for our workshop. After the workshop on Tuesday, she came in to me and mentioned that her blood pressure was 199/68. Those numbers don’t mean a lot to me, but I do know that the 199 is way too high. We quickly dashed down to a local urgent medical care. They were extremely helpful and got her to a doctor who prescribed some medicine to, hopefully, lower that number.

I couldn’t help but think of this verse where Christ warns us about worrying about the tomorrow because tomorrow has enough worries of its own. In this case it certainly did. We covet your prayers for her healing.

Oh Lord, I pray for Your healing hand on Sylvia and for Your continuing support of our endeavors.

 

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[1] https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/high-blood-pressure-why-me-201605029288

Starship Captain Goes Into Space

 

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Psalm 73:26
Good News Translation
²⁶ My mind and my body may grow weak,
    but God is my strength;
    he is all I ever need.

 

The nonagenarian, William Shatner, stepped down out of the space capsule and walked over and threw his arms around Jeff Bezos. With tears in his eyes and a quaver in his voice, Shatner exclaimed, “What you have given me is the most profound experience!”  He went on, “I hope I never recover from this. I hope that I can maintain what I feel now.” Shatner is worth at least $100,000,000, and Bezos well over $190,000,000,000.  Bezos had just given Shatner a ride some 65 miles high above the earth into space.

When I was a grad student in Iowa City, we didn’t have a TV, so at a local electronics store, Occasionally I used to watch Shatner playing Captain James T. Kirk of the space ship Enterprise as they cruised around through space in the Star Trek series. Since then, he has become famous for his acting roles. Shatner at 90 years old now is still popular. Of course, this actual space flight was a publicity stunt for Bezos, the opulent founder of Amazon. Bezos used this flight to publicize his commercial exploitation of space.  

Read the whole of Psalm 73. The poet, Asaph, compares the affluence and exorbitant lives of the wealthy to his meagre existence. Then his thoughts come back to the life he has as he rests his existence in the hands of God. He recognizes the effect of age on his own mind and body, his flesh and heart in this hymn.

Thank You, Lord, that I, too, find in You my strength and hope.

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[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/13/science/bezos-shatner-star-trek.html