Not Afraid of the Monsters

It's Monday on a summer day, so all of my kids are with me in the office this morning. I have them all working on "Summer Homework", which means they are all working on some sort of academic skill such as writing numerals, reading for comprehension, and identifying colors. Some of my children are more independent than others when it comes to this kind of review work.

One of my boys, Tobias, is sitting with me while doing his work. He keeps singing "Not afraid of the monsters", which he said is from a video one of his bigger brothers showed them about a computer game. I have no desire to do the research today on this musical video, so we will just go with this one line stuck in my son's head. He may be imagining pixillated, block-headed creatures, but I am going to write about some metaphorical monsters that may be stalking us.

Today, in my daily Bible devotional app, I read in Matthew 6 about when to worry and about what to worry. Jesus tells us not to be anxious about our own lives, such as what we will eat or what we will drink. He tells us that worrying will not add an hour to a single life.Jesus tells us that we should not worry about having treasures here on earth, and to seek the kingdom of God first. When we seek after what God wants from us, which is to love Him and to love others as we love ourselves, these other things will be added to us too.

Matthew 6:25-34 English Standard Version (ESV)

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 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? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

The other verses from Scripture also on my mind is The Lord's Prayer, also from Matthew 6 and taught by Jesus Himself. He tells us to pray to the Father everyday. He tells us that we will be forgiven only if we forgive others for things they have done against us. It is not about memorizing The Lord's Prayer so that we can repeat it, but we need to understand that God wants us to talk to Him everyday, give Him our daily concerns (like what we will eat), and to deliver us from evil (which can also be called monsters). If there are monsters in your life, then what do you need to do about them? God tells us not to be afraid, but to go to Him!

Matthew 6:9-15 English Standard Version (ESV)

9 Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.