"What, Me Worry? "

Remember Alfred E. Neumann of Mad Magazine? He's that "boy with misaligned eyes, a gap-toothed smile, and the perennial motto 'What, me worry?'"

"What Me Worry" is also a book by Andrew Kuo (with Kelefa Sanneh) that repurposes "the sad, comical and seemingly trivial minutiae of everyday life into pie charts, flow charts and other forms of visual data sorting."

While I haven't read the latter, I've gobbled down a few issues of the magazine. Those were carefree days, an age when one can afford to be totally idealistic and fight for what is right and shout about freedom, and ironically relatively free from worry. I mean, is there any adult out there who has not experienced worry?

But really, worry does not solve our problems. To think about a problem with the end in mind of solving it is one thing, but to worry is another, and to have anxiety is yet something entirely at another level.

The Bible tells us not to worry and not to be filled with anxiety, and this is the same thought shared by The 700 Club host Miriam Quiambao-Roberto*. She asks, 

"If you are away from your family, away from your spouse who is a breadwinner, concerned kayo, worried kayo para sa kanya, para sa pamilya n'yo, paano n'yo matutustusan ang sarili ninyo at pangangailangan ng pamilya nyo? O di naman kaya ay nag-iisa ka, at ang pamilya 'nyo ay malayo. Paano na sila? Paano ka na? Sino mag-aalaga sa iyo? O di naman kaya ikaw ay isang nanay na malayo sa iyong asawa [at] hindi siya kumikita, paano ka na? Paano na mga anak mo?" 

("If you are away from your family, away from your spouse who is a breadwinner, and you're concerned and worried for your family, how will you provide for yourself and for the needs of your family? Or if you are alone and far from your family, how will they get by? How will you get by? Who will take care of you? Or if you are a mother, far from your husband, and he's not earning, how will you survive? How will your kids get by?")

Miriam cites her situation:

"Ako po ay nalayo sa aking asawa, si Ardy Roberto, na ngayon ay nasa Maui, Hawaii. For the past two weeks nandoon po siya, nagtuturo sa isang evangelism conference. At bagamat meron po siyang flight bookings, isa-isa na po silang nakakansela dahil po pati ang lockdown umabot na rin po sa Maui. At pati po Philippine Airlines nagkansela ng mga flights at bagamat mayroon siyang flight booking ngayon, hindi namin alam kung pati iyon ay makakansela. 

"Hindi namin sigurado kung kailan siya makakabalik, o kung may coronavirus na siya pagbalik niya dito. Lalo na ngayon, wedding anniversary namin ng March 25, magkalayo kami, at hindi namin alam kung mase-celebrate pa namin 'yon, and how long, how far from now, kung makakabalik pa siya dito. 

"So lahat po yan, lahat ng mga issues na yan concerned ako. Concerned din po dahil ako lang din ang namamahala dito sa pamamahay namin. Mayroon akong dalawang anak, at bagamat mayroon akong mga maids, paano kung may emergency? Paano kong makakayanan ang lahat ng ito? Marami pong mga concerns.

 

 

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("My husband Ardy Roberto is far from me, as he is Maui, Hawaii. For the past two weeks he's been there teaching at an evangelism conference. And though he had flight bookings, they were cancelled one by one as the lockdown reached Maui. Even Philippine Airlines cancelled their flights and even if he has a flight booking now, we don't know if that too will be cancelled.

"We're not sure when he'll be coming back, or if he'll carry coronavirus when he comes back. It's our wedding anniversary on March 25 and we're far from one another, and we don't know if we'd still be able to celebrate it, and how long, how far from now, if he'd still be able to come home.

"So I'm concerend about all of these issues. I am concerned because I'm left alone to manage the house. I have two children, and though we have house-help, what if there's an emergency? How can I handle everything? There are so many concerns.")

Miriam encourages us to draw from Scripture to find out how to deal with our worries and anxiety:

Matthew 6:25-34

 

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

 

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

 

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

 

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

 

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

 

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

 

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

 

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

 

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

 

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.’

 

"He cares for us," Miriam reminds her fellow believers. "So let us put our faith in him. He knows what we need... Alam po Niya ang lahat ng pangangailangan natin - whether it’s physical, emotional, mental, spiritual - ...at Siya po ang mag-aalaga sa atin, Siya ang magpo-protekta sa atin. Siya po ang magtutustos ng lahat ng mga pangangailangan natin. (He knows all our needs - whether it's physical, emotional, mental, spiritual - ...and He will take care of us. He will protect us. He will provide for all of our needs.)" 

So how do you get rid of worry? Let me sum it up in a few words that will be easier for you to remember: Put all your worries in a bag, all your problems, all your care. Then bend your knees and pray and turn over that bag to the Lord. Completely. 

*Transcribed and quoted from https://www.facebook.com/The700ClubAsia/videos/214660486429567