How do you respond to "tsuris?"
Matthew 6:25-34
25 “Therefore, I tell you, don’t worry about your life — what you will eat or drink; or about your body — what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds flying about! They neither plant nor harvest, nor do they gather food into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they are? 27 Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to his life?
28 “And why be anxious about clothing? Think about the fields of wild irises, and how they grow. They neither work nor spin thread, 29 yet I tell you that not even Shlomo (Solomon) in all his glory was clothed as beautifully as one of these. 30 If this is how God clothes grass in the field — which is here today and gone tomorrow, thrown in an oven — won’t he much more clothe you? What little trust you have!
31 “So don’t be anxious, asking, ‘What will we eat?,’ ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘How will we be clothed?’ 32 For it is the pagans who set their hearts on all these things. Your heavenly Father knows you need them all. 33 But seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Don’t worry about tomorrow — tomorrow will worry about itself! Today has enough tsuris (trouble/problems) already!
I did a quick study on the word tsuris. It is a Yiddish word with the following thoughts behind it: troubles, worries, aggravation, woes, suffering, grief or heartache. It is also a direct adaptation of the plural form of the Hebrew word for “narrow” or “constriction,”tsar.
Chabad had an interesting article written about this word with places it was used in the Bible. You can find out more about it here:
A short paragraph from the article is encouraging:
"Yet, there is something deeply empowering about the word “tsuris.” You see, a narrow space is not a roadblock. You can pass through, it just takes a bit more wiggling and maneuvering. And when you do emerge, the resistance you had to push through will catapult you forward."
Jesus, the simple teacher. We often make His Words so complicated, but really, we must stop and recognize that He wanted everything to be simple. His teaching here should show us that we bring the worries and cares on ourselves. We are the ones who focus on what is wrong, instead of what is good.
It is TOUGH to keep trusting, even when you see all that He has done along the way. We just want the troubles and problems to disappear. However, all He wants us to do is TRUST Him more, even when we can't see the answer. That is FAITH.
Reading through the Words of Jesus has been strengthening, even for me. May His Words bring HOPE and PEACE to you as well. We live in days that are filled with "tsuris," but HE is with us. The narrow roadblock that is there, once we emerge on the other side, we will continue to move forward. Find that resistance in HIS WORDS today. May they be what "catapults you forward."
Love and blessings,
Rose
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