Matthew 6:27 (Common English Bible) Who among you by worrying can add a single moment to your life?

I love children!

Children live in the moment. They don’t worry about what comes next. They just take life minute by minute, living in the present, remembering fondly the fun past, and not really stressing about what comes next.

If you spend much time with children, you know that they live in a timeless world where they don’t look at their watches every minute. They don’t worry about being late for a scheduled appointment, and they don’t take medication to relieve stress and anxiety like many adults do.

No wonder Jesus said that we must come to God as little children!

Years ago, I heard a song that said, "Don’t worry, be happy." While that might seem like a devil-may-care attitude, I think the songwriter was on to something.

Even Jesus told us not to worry about what we would eat or drink or wear.

Then, he made an astounding, medically sound statement: "Who among you by worrying can add a single moment to your life?"

Medical science has proven that worry subtracts time from your life.

In other words, those who are more anxious are more likely to have medical issues like high blood pressure and heart disease than those who "don’t worry" about everything.

So how do we keep from worrying all the time?

We live in a worry-ridden world where media constantly remind us to worry about terrorism and crime.

We live in a society where we are constantly reminded that our health-care coverage may not cover everything we need, so we worry that we will either not get good health care or we will not be able to pay for it.

We live in a world where many are starving or dying from lack of fresh water or medical supplies or food, and we worry that we cannot do enough to help enough people to make a difference.

The Prophet Isaiah reminds us of this: "Those with sound thoughts [God] will keep in peace, in peace because they trust in [God].’’ (Isaiah 26.3)

When we keep our eyes focused on the Lord and not on the current crisis around us, our minds (and our bodies) will remain more peaceful because we trust in God.

When we fret over things, it’s as if we are saying, "God, I love you, but I really don’t trust you to take care of me."

Trusting God is the secret to not worrying.

What are you worrying about today?

Will you trust God minute by minute to take care of you and to help you not to worry?

Rev. Jan McCoy is the associate pastor of Covington First United Methodist Church in downtown Covington. She may be reached at jan.mccoy@ngumc.net.