United Church of Christ Daily Devotional 8th July 2025 Tuesday Message
Worry Knots
By Kaji Douša
[Jesus said,] “…Worry not about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear.” – Luke 12:22 (as translated by Wilda C. Gafney in Year A)
“Worry not,” Jesus says.
And most of us respond, “I’d love to. But how?”
Anxiety doesn’t ask for permission. It lingers. It follows us like a shadow, whispering worst-case scenarios, tracking every move. Under the gaze of expectations, deadlines, and fears, we’re just supposed to “not worry”?
Here’s what I think. Jesus isn’t scolding or telling people facing real struggle simply to “calm down.” Jesus is speaking to folks carrying generational trauma and economic uncertainty. People like us. And he’s not offering a quick fix. He’s offering a shift.
Look at the ravens, he says. They don’t stress, and they’re fed. Look at the lilies. They don’t hustle, and they’re clothed in glory. If God cares for them, how much more for you?
Jesus’s words aren’t about minimizing your anxiety. They’re about reminding you that anxiety doesn’t have to be in the driver’s seat. While anxiety’s with you, so is God. So much more powerfully.
If you’re anxious today, you’re in good company. Listen, still, for another voice. One that says: “You are more than your worry. You are already held.”
Prayer
Thank you for lilies, ravens, the portrait you paint that shows us the bounty of your glory. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
About the AuthorKaji Douša is the Senior Pastor of The Park Avenue Christian Church, a congregation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ, in New York City.