The Gospel According to Luke | Luke 12:22-34 | Pastor Rob Haslam

I am confident that if you ask people around me, you will learn that I am independent. I would say that I am independent to a fault. Asking for help is a very difficult thing for me. I would rather offer help than receive it. I grew up unable to depend on my parents due to the abuse in the home, which has caused me to struggle to depend on others. According to D’Amore Mental Health: When referring to Adults who were abused as children. "They become overly independent because they don’t have to rely on others for anything ever again. Other ways childhood issues play a role in an adult’s life are they become anxious and exhibit signs of social anxiousness. They will create relationships with people but never feel 100% secure in these relationships.” How does this connect to those who have not been abused? An Ipsos survey from February 18 to March 4 of 2022 finds that, on average across 30 countries and 22,534, 30% of adults say most people can be trusted.2  Of course that means that 70% said most people cannot be trusted. It would seem that regardless of environment, most people would say they have difficulty trusting. The truth is that lack of trust does lead to worry. According to Diane E Dreher Ph.D., in an article from Psychology Today where she quotes The Edelman Trust Barometer report, when discussing the erosion of trust in the world today: “This lack of trust coincides with escalating rates of loneliness,  anxiety, and depression worldwide (American Psychological Association, 2022). THE ANSWER TO WORRY IS TRUST IN GOD The only real way for us to move from worry to trust is found in moving from self-reliant to God-reliant. Luke 12:22 22 Then Jesus said to his disciples:  “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.  If you internalize this teaching, you will experience Isaiah 26:3. Isaiah 26:3 " You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you." If you do not internalize this teaching, the opposite is true. You are more likely to experience: * Increased anxiety and depression. * Damaged relationships because you may turn more judgmental and cynical about people. * Loneliness because you have difficulty with vulnerability. * Distance with God because you may be too independent. All of this will lead to a lack of joy, some irritability, perhaps anger. It is likely that you will not connect well in your faith and possibly push God even further to the side. THE ANSWER TO WORRY IS TRUST IN GOD