“Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?” -Matthew 6:26-31
It always amazes me, when I read stories about Jesus, at how well he knows us. In th
ese words from Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus speaks to his closest friends. With them, he draws a picture of natural beauty to illustrate a point. Birds don’t worry about where their next meal will come from. Flowers don’t fret over what they look like to the outside world. Both of these things: the birds and the flowers, Jesus says, are content to let God handle it. The meals, the way they look, their entire life, he says, are completely in God’s hands. Take some time this week to watch them: the birds and the flowers. If you do, then you’ll see that they are just fine with this arrangement.
Peppered throughout his illustration, Jesus uses the word “worry.” “Worry” is a word that is completely human. If you’re human you worry, and Jesus knows it. He knows us well enough to know that we spend a lot of time in life worried about things. Deep down, we know he’s right, no matter how hard or how often we worry, it won’t change a thing. In the end, no matter how much worrying we do, it won’t add a single minute to our life.
Two weeks ago, I gathered with the family of one of the members of our church who had passed away last December. Stella’s family gathered for a memorial service to remember her and lay her to rest. Stella was a woman who was most at home in the natural world, in the outdoors, living close to the plants and the animals. Her life was lived on a farm. Over the many years of her very full life she became intimately connected to that farm. She loved the land, the plants, and the animals.
I used to look forward to visits with Stella, because I found if I was worried
about something before I went to see her, after our visit it really didn’t seem to matter. Often, we would sit at the kitchen table and after I had asked how she was doing, she would tell me. She would talk about the intense pain in her knees. She would tell me how difficult it was to do simple things. She would speak about how frustrating life had become. When all she wanted to do was go out and weed the garden or plant something, or feed the many varieties of birds that lived just outside her door, the aches and pains, the physical limitations often prevented her. As she spoke, I could hear how passionate she was about the life outside, and how much she wanted to be able to do all those things she had done for so long. Then after she had finished listing off all the problems and all her frustrations, she would always look me right in the eye, and the sad look would vanish from her face and a smile would appear and she would say: “But…it could be worse…it could be worse.” I think she could have trademarked that saying. It was a favorite of hers that I heard each time I went to see her.
Jesus has a trademark on a concept of his own, and in all things it seems to be “Trust God.” When you wake up in the morning, when you go throughout your day, and when you lay down at night: “Trust God.” Stella knew this idea well, too. She knew that each and every day, no matter what the day would bring: whether it would be more aches and pains or some relief, whether it was bright sunshine or driving rain, whether it was good news or bad…she knew that through it all God was with her, and with us all. How well acquainted are you and I with trusting God for everything? If you’re like me, then you could use always use some help in this area.
Jesus told his closest friends about the importance of trusting God. He did it by using just a few loaves and a couple of bread and fish to feed thousands of people. He did it by reaching out to touch blind eyes and leprous hands. He did it by telling stories about birds and flowers, and the beauty of the world God made for us and for them. He did by being a friend to those who had no friends and a savior to those who had been told that God didn’t care about them. In the end, Jesus teaches us all about trusting God by literally throwing his life into God’s hands. On the cross, Jesus shows us what it really means to trust God completely. With the new life that God raises him up to, God shows us that it always pays off.
Each day, when we trust God, one thing that’s bound to happen is that we will recognize that our lives are rarely, if ever, perfect, but God’s love always is. Even when we feel like it couldn’t possibly get any worse, we’re reminded that with God at our side, we are never alone for anything that life throws our way. Stella was someone who knew this, and I suspect she taught it to those of us who were lucky to know her. She taught it with the way she lived her life. Today, after a lifetime of knowing that it could always be worse, now she lives completely in the perfect love of God. One day, we will too.
It always amazes me, when I read stories about Jesus, at how well he knows us. In th
ese words from Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus speaks to his closest friends. With them, he draws a picture of natural beauty to illustrate a point. Birds don’t worry about where their next meal will come from. Flowers don’t fret over what they look like to the outside world. Both of these things: the birds and the flowers, Jesus says, are content to let God handle it. The meals, the way they look, their entire life, he says, are completely in God’s hands. Take some time this week to watch them: the birds and the flowers. If you do, then you’ll see that they are just fine with this arrangement.Peppered throughout his illustration, Jesus uses the word “worry.” “Worry” is a word that is completely human. If you’re human you worry, and Jesus knows it. He knows us well enough to know that we spend a lot of time in life worried about things. Deep down, we know he’s right, no matter how hard or how often we worry, it won’t change a thing. In the end, no matter how much worrying we do, it won’t add a single minute to our life.
Two weeks ago, I gathered with the family of one of the members of our church who had passed away last December. Stella’s family gathered for a memorial service to remember her and lay her to rest. Stella was a woman who was most at home in the natural world, in the outdoors, living close to the plants and the animals. Her life was lived on a farm. Over the many years of her very full life she became intimately connected to that farm. She loved the land, the plants, and the animals.I used to look forward to visits with Stella, because I found if I was worried
about something before I went to see her, after our visit it really didn’t seem to matter. Often, we would sit at the kitchen table and after I had asked how she was doing, she would tell me. She would talk about the intense pain in her knees. She would tell me how difficult it was to do simple things. She would speak about how frustrating life had become. When all she wanted to do was go out and weed the garden or plant something, or feed the many varieties of birds that lived just outside her door, the aches and pains, the physical limitations often prevented her. As she spoke, I could hear how passionate she was about the life outside, and how much she wanted to be able to do all those things she had done for so long. Then after she had finished listing off all the problems and all her frustrations, she would always look me right in the eye, and the sad look would vanish from her face and a smile would appear and she would say: “But…it could be worse…it could be worse.” I think she could have trademarked that saying. It was a favorite of hers that I heard each time I went to see her.Jesus has a trademark on a concept of his own, and in all things it seems to be “Trust God.” When you wake up in the morning, when you go throughout your day, and when you lay down at night: “Trust God.” Stella knew this idea well, too. She knew that each and every day, no matter what the day would bring: whether it would be more aches and pains or some relief, whether it was bright sunshine or driving rain, whether it was good news or bad…she knew that through it all God was with her, and with us all. How well acquainted are you and I with trusting God for everything? If you’re like me, then you could use always use some help in this area.
Jesus told his closest friends about the importance of trusting God. He did it by using just a few loaves and a couple of bread and fish to feed thousands of people. He did it by reaching out to touch blind eyes and leprous hands. He did it by telling stories about birds and flowers, and the beauty of the world God made for us and for them. He did by being a friend to those who had no friends and a savior to those who had been told that God didn’t care about them. In the end, Jesus teaches us all about trusting God by literally throwing his life into God’s hands. On the cross, Jesus shows us what it really means to trust God completely. With the new life that God raises him up to, God shows us that it always pays off.
Each day, when we trust God, one thing that’s bound to happen is that we will recognize that our lives are rarely, if ever, perfect, but God’s love always is. Even when we feel like it couldn’t possibly get any worse, we’re reminded that with God at our side, we are never alone for anything that life throws our way. Stella was someone who knew this, and I suspect she taught it to those of us who were lucky to know her. She taught it with the way she lived her life. Today, after a lifetime of knowing that it could always be worse, now she lives completely in the perfect love of God. One day, we will too.
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