Have a Hakuna Matata Thanksgiving

In the movie, Lion King, Pumba, the warthog, and Timon, the meerkat, try to convince young Simba that a life of no worries is a carefree life. They roam about their days carefree with no responsibilities and/or commitments. Simba, the young lion destined to be king, later discovers that there is a difference between a carefree life and a worry free life. It could even be argued that a carefree life is really just an attempt to escape life. A hakuna matata, no worry, kind of life is possible but not the way that Timon and Pumba propose.

In Matthew 6:27 Jesus asks, “Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?” Then he challenges the listeners to reflect on the birds of the air and the lilies of the field and notice how God provides for them. If the things that are here today and gone tomorrow are taken care of by the Creator, then how much more will God provide for us who are created in God’s image? At this point, Jesus says, “Strive for the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

We all have the tendency to worry. We worry about our careers. We are concerned over our children. We worry about past mistakes coming back to haunt us. We worry about bills, health, and the future. Another word for worry is “anxious.” It comes from the idea of being distracted.

Worry distracts us from the responsibility of living in the moment. It takes away mental energy needed for the moment and leaves us exhausted over things out of our control. The more time we spend worrying the less time we spend doing what needs to be done. Worrying about tomorrow leaves unfilled the tasks of today.

The answer Jesus gives is to seek the kingdom of God. He is challenging us to give our entire attention to what God is doing right now. Trust that God can handle anything that is thrown our way. Take each day as it comes and rejoice in the gift of this moment. Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker’s Movement, once said, “I have learned to live each day as it comes, and not to borrow trouble by dreading tomorrow. It is the dark menace of the future that makes cowards of us.”

As we move toward a week of giving thanks, I pray that all of us will worry less and say thanks for life’s blessings. Let’s focus on what we have more than what we do not have. Let’s be grateful for our blessings and discover a life of hakuna matata, no worries, because the One who clothes the lilies of the field is the One by whom we are loved.