| “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.” |
| —John 14:1-3 |
Several years ago, in fact back in 1988, singer Bobby McFerrin wrote, recorded, and released a song that set the toes a-tappin’ for people all over the world. “Don’t worry, be happy” the song instructed. Part of the uniqueness of this song came from the fact that it was sung a cappella. To provide a pseudo-instrumental background, McFerrin overdubbed a whole orchestra of mouth sounds to give the song some aural depth and charm. The song topped the Billboard 100 in the U.S. and also hit the No. 1 spot in Australia, Austria, Canada, and Germany. Here are the lyrics to McFerrin’s big hit:
Here’s a little song I wrote.
You might want to sing it note for note.
Don’t worry, be happy!
In every life we have some trouble.
But, when you worry, you make it double.
Don’t worry, be happy!
Don’t worry, be happy!
Ain’t got no place to lay your head?
Somebody came and took your bed.
Don’t worry, be happy!
The landlord say your rent is late.
He may have to litigate.
Don’t worry, be happy!
(Look at me, I’m happy!)
Don’t worry, be happy!
(I give you my phone number.
When your worry, give me a call.
I’ll make you happy.)
Don’t worry, be happy!
Ain’t got no cash?
Ain’t got no style?
Ain’t got no gal to make you smile?
Don’t worry, be happy!
When you worry your face will frown.
That will bring everybody down.
Don’t worry, be happy!
Don’t worry, be happy!
Don’t worry, be happy!
Don’t worry, be happy!
Don’t worry! Don’t worry, be happy!
Put a smile on your face!
Don’t bring everybody down!
Don’t worry!
It will soon pass, whatever it is!
Don’t worry, be happy!
I’m not worried! I’m happy!
Bobby McFerrin is certainly not the first person to express the value of positive thinking. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale made a life-transforming experience for many people through his 1952 book The Power of Positive Thinking. Peale, a minister of the Reformed Church in America, pastored Marble Collegiate Church in New York City for 52 years. And while, over the years, his most notable book has garnered many strong criticisms from within the Christian and Psychological communities, it has sold over five million copies and stayed on the New York Times “Bestseller List” for 186 consecutive weeks. This book certainly awakened Americans to the idea that there was great value to looking at life through a positive lens.
For Christians, down through the ages, one of the major, and most important, proponents of setting aside worry and anxiety in one’s life was our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Often read at funerals, as words of encouragement for grieving families, Jesus began several days of intense personal counseling for His closest disciples—as recorded in John 14 through 17—in the days just before His crucifixion with these words from John 14:1-3:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
Nothing would cause greater angst in the lives of His disciples than Jesus death, burial, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. In a 43 day period, they would lose their leader, have Him come back to them from the dead, and see Him leave them again to return to His heavenly throne. Yes, during Pentecost, He gave those followers the indwelling Holy Spirit shortly after His ascension. But, the disciples must still have felt very anxious about what would unfold in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead.
Many of them would be martyred for their faith. Many would suffer intense persecution. But, they would experience the joy of witnessing the spread of the good news of the life-changing power of Jesus, as countless lives became transformed by the intense spiritual power that would become what we, today, call Christianity.
As we begin another day, a day that might well have moments of fear, anxiety, disappointment, discouragement, and difficulty of many kinds, let us remember Jesus’ words. Our home is in heaven. Our place there is secure. Nothing in this world can harm us eternally. So, let us take heart, think and act positively, and trust God to see us through. He has never, never failed. And, He surely will not fail us now.
Here’s a music video that Bobby McFerrin and some friends you might recognize made of his famous song:
![[Graphic of a play video icon]](https://www.deankwilson.com/Blog_images/video_icon.jpg){kind=icon}
Based on a blog originally posted on Monday, January 2, 2017
