“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
- Matthew 6:25-34
And so you will bear testimony to me. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
- Luke 21:13-15
The New Boilerplate
My wife filled a small book with “Angel” on the cover. It was hidden with a box of crafting things. On 18 July 2025, I thought I had posted the last of these. But this little angel book held a prayer, followed by 71 quotes. So, the “with a little help” series is back in business for a while. And it will be fun for me. She did not attribute any of the quotes. The first, next week’s installment, is from James A. Garfield, the 20th president of the USA. The next one is disputed, with some thinking it originated with Teddy Roosevelt and others saying Fred Astaire. After the prayer, these might be on the lighter side.
Her quote
“Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
- Mark Twain
The Discussion
The quote is attributed to Mark Twain according to the internet. This sounds a bit fishy. I have seen articles on other Mark Twain quotes where they have scoured everything he ever wrote, and the quote never appears in all his writings. If the quote was found in a book, it would say which book. There is always to chance that he made the statement in an interview, and it is recorded in the interviewer’s article. But leave it to some doubter in the future to argue that Mark Twain never existed because there is no proof that he made this one quote. After all, they say that about William Shakespeare because some of his poetry does not match his “style.” Ouch! Maybe my style has changed, and now I fail to exist! I will leave that for another day.
I remember my platoon sergeant telling our platoon (I am making up the full speech in that I do not know what prompted his comment…), “Men, the lieutenant has given the orders for the day. We have a difficult task ahead of us, but we will accomplish our task. I will drive you hard until we have the job finished. It’s a case of mind over matter. I don’t mind, and you don’t matter. Now get to work.”
As it turned out, I did not matter either. They would do anything for the sergeant, but when I told them what the company commander had told me, they were about to protest. When the sergeant convinced them that he would drive them hard until the job was done and that in the end, their puny lives did not matter, why complain? My platoon sergeant was a tall Texan, and he looked intimidating.
He was really a nice guy, and each of the men mattered to him. It was an expression in the military that quelled rebellion, even the verbal kind.
But this quote from Mark Twain is therapeutic if you take it to heart. I have heard the line about how it is hard to get old, but it beats the alternative. I think the alternative of dying and being with Jesus with no pain is the better alternative. I am not going to end my life for that to happen. If I am here, it means that God has work for me to do.
The reason why the quote is therapeutic is that if you do not mind the new ache or the occasional pain, getting old simply becomes a number. If you are like me, you have to do the math to remember how old. I do not put the proper number of candles on my birthday cake. It is a fire hazard.
Thinking of that birthday cake joke, I could start putting the number of candles that is less than 100. Then not tell anyone what I am doing. I love being enigmatic.
There are many articles on the internet that speak of this quote and how people live longer and happier lives. Otherwise, the worry about what will come tomorrow will become overwhelming. And you will find yourself in assisted living and then the nursing home far before your time.
So, do not mind getting older. That attitude leads to more good years and less worries.
Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the Glory
Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley 
Leave a comment