Danny Taylor: Skinny Guy Thinking it Through

If you are a human being, something like Matthew 6.25-34 is enough to make you think the Christian life is completely impossible.  To be told “Don’t worry,”—you might as well be told to grow a tail.   I have heard many pastors try to soften the blow, creating a distinction between “worry” and “genuine, valid concern.”  For instance, “worry” is our mental, emotional, or psychological reaction over rather trivial things.  What is your reaction when there are only two eggs left in the refrigerator?  Or when there is a test you haven’t studied for?  Or when your underwear drawer is dwindling down and there is no detergent in the house?  And it is snowing?  Do you sweat?  Do you panic?  Do you lose sleep?  If so, stop worrying! There are even more dire things that seem important but in the grand scheme of things really aren’t.  What is your reaction when the car won’t start in the morning?  When dinner with friends is ...

My wife grew up in the South Pacific where English is not the native tongue.  She still speaks Samoan from time to time.  It can be a little awkward when we get together with her family.  We will sit around a table to eat, enjoying company and conversation.  Suddenly, someone will utter what sounds like unintelligible vowel noises and my wife and her family will start laughing.  Meanwhile, we in-laws stare blankly at one another, hoping we were not just the butt of a joke.   If I ask my wife, “What did your mom just say?” she usually replies, “Oh, you wouldn’t get it.  It doesn’t translate well into English.”  I guess I had to be there (even though I was there!) Translating from one language to another can be tricky business.  Some things just don’t translate well, and to prevent from being lost in translation, you need to be somewhat familiar with both languages.  Such is the case with Matthew 6:22: “The eye is the la...