I usually avoid talking about scripture because, being a secularist, I view everything from a secular perspective, where any writing can be evaluated outside of the writing. But when I cannot find a secular perspective to scripture, my thoughts finally end up going back to the scripture. And yes, that tends to lead to the same answer you gave me.

I usually avoid talking about scripture because, being a secularist, I view everything from a secular perspective, where any writing can be evaluated outside of the writing. But when I cannot find a secular perspective to scripture, my thoughts finally end up going back to the scripture. And yes, that tends to lead to the same answer you gave me.

That's not a criticism, simply an observation but I sure appreciate you comments and thoughts.

That's not a criticism, simply an observation but I sure appreciate you comments and thoughts.

The problem is not that we have mental responses to feelings. It is that the underlying sensations are physiological stimuli, and the underlying change needed to address a physiological stimulus is a change in the physiological conditions which led to that stimulus. The mental, psychological response must manifest that physiological change.

Fretting is not necessarily bad when it leads us to new, clever ways to affect our physiological conditions, unlike the bird, who cannot do more than he is instinctually prepared to do. For example, we don't need to adapt to an environment over thousands of years, or move to a different environment. We are capable of making our own environment suitable to our own needs. We can even make the void of space suit our own needs, but it takes a lot of fretting.

Of course, the passage Oswald is referring to, Psalm 37:8, indicates that the problem is that we even have our own needs, and that the only needs which should be satisfied are God's needs. The passages say not to fret because God will provide what he has determined that we actually need for this life, so that we can focus on the next life.

But it does seem kind of odd for me that we would be created with this unique ability to provide for ourselves, and be advised by our creator not to bother ourselves too much with this ability. Although birds don't worry about where they will get their next bite to eat, they also do not please Him the way we can, yet His advice for us is to be more like the unpleasing birds. What am I missing?

The problem is not that we have mental responses to feelings. It is that the underlying sensations are physiological stimuli, and the underlying change needed to address a physiological stimulus is a change in the physiological conditions which led to that stimulus. The mental, psychological response must manifest that physiological change.

Fretting is not necessarily bad when it leads us to new, clever ways to affect our physiological conditions, unlike the bird, who cannot do more than he is instinctually prepared to do. For example, we don't need to adapt to an environment over thousands of years, or move to a different environment. We are capable of making our own environment suitable to our own needs. We can even make the void of space suit our own needs, but it takes a lot of fretting.

Of course, the passage Oswald is referring to, Psalm 37:8, indicates that the problem is that we even have our own needs, and that the only needs which should be satisfied are God's needs. The passages say not to fret because God will provide what he has determined that we actually need for this life, so that we can focus on the next life.

But it does seem kind of odd for me that we would be created with this unique ability to provide for ourselves, and be advised by our creator not to bother ourselves too much with this ability. Although birds don't worry about where they will get their next bite to eat, they also do not please Him the way we can, yet His advice for us is to be more like the unpleasing birds. What am I missing?