"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today."

-Matthew 6:25-34 (NRSV)

THE honeybee is known for ceaseless labor. Its hive is a hotbed of activity. No wonder. A single worker bee makes 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime, and a good hive will produce 50 to 60 pounds of honey to survive the winter. The work never ends!

Still, it's a little known fact that even the hard-working honeybee will find a spot on the comb, cease all activity -- and do absolutely nothing for a while! Nothing productive as far as the world is concerned. But this time of refreshment and renewal is absolutely essential. Bees seem to require a little time away from the busyness of life, and it doesn't seem to hurt the hive at all.

Many of us discover that our levels of stress and anxiety rise because of the never-ending tasks that fill our days. We worry about whether we can keep up. During these moments I find it best to follow the example of the honeybee and just stop. After all, Jesus did the same thing. When he was very busy, he went up the mountain to pray -- to create a time and space for God to refresh his spirit. If Jesus needed such time, surely we do too.

Frank Ramirez (Pennsylvania, USA)

Prayer Focus

Chronic worriers