Pastor Tom's Community

Frankly, I’m Too Busy—and Too Broke

We have only so much mental, physical, and emotional energy.

If we spend it, it is spent.

If we spend it fretting about something that will ultimately take care of itself, we have wasted a limited resource. Fretting is expensive, and frankly, I am too busy and too broke to keep paying for it.

Evildoers—their successes, their deeds, and their devices—all have an expiration date.

So do we.

They set their courses through their choices, just as we set ours. We do not have to supervise their outcomes to make sure evil is not rewarded or left unchecked. That responsibility belongs to God.

Fretting is not the same as caring. Refusing to fret does not mean that we ignore injustice, remain silent about wrongdoing, or withdraw from the work of making things right.

We are called to seek justice for others. We are called to demonstrate the way of righteousness, repentance, and grace. But we are not assigned to sit in ultimate judgment—even within our own minds and hearts.

That sort of judgment consumes energy without producing justice.

If someone we once knew to be evil turns from that path, it is because something wonderful has happened within that person’s heart. That is cause for celebration.

If that person does not turn, it is deeply sad. But our deepest sadness should be for that person—and for the God who grieves the loss of one whom God has loved and invited to return.

The apparent success of evil will not last forever. It is a fading blade of grass, a withering herb.

So, is fretting in your budget?

It is not in mine.

“Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.”
—Psalm 37:1–2 (ESV)

A Prayer

Lord, give me courage to confront injustice, wisdom to know what is mine to do, and faith to leave ultimate judgment in your hands. Keep me from wasting today’s strength on tomorrow’s outcomes. Help me spend my energy on love, truth, mercy, and faithful action. Amen.