Matthew 6:25-33New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 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?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
I'm not sure about you, but generally when some one tells me "not to worry," that puts my anxiety into overdrive!
I am from a family where anxiety - the kind that gets classified by psychiatrists - is a real issue, so worrying is a really, tangible part of some of our lives.
And yet, as I hear Jesus speak these words, rather than put my worry into overdrive, instead it gives me pause and calm.
There are two truths I face in this text: first, that I have been amply provided for. I am grateful and realize that I am also fortunate.
The other truth is that none of my worrying ever brings me the hope or joy that God's kingdom - the one Jesus came to proclaim - brings me. That it is possible for me - even in a state of anxiety - to see the birds or the air or the lilies of the field, and know God's beautiful mystery is bigger than my worry. Thankfulness for that beautiful mystery is what brings me hope and joy.
This year, I am thankful for so many things, but I know that it isn't necessarily being thankful for those specific things that bring me closer to God. It is instead, living IN thanksgiving at all times - thankful for my first breath in the morning and feeling gratitude whatever my circumstances. It is in then that I will find God's kingdom.
Grateful people, I believe, are people who are free from the tyranny of worry. People who find joy in even places of darkness.
Happy Thanksgiving! And may you find the joy and hope today that God's Kingdom provides.
Thank you Lord for the love and peace you offer this world. Help me today to step into that loving embrace with gratitude and hope. Amen.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 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?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
I'm not sure about you, but generally when some one tells me "not to worry," that puts my anxiety into overdrive!
I am from a family where anxiety - the kind that gets classified by psychiatrists - is a real issue, so worrying is a really, tangible part of some of our lives.
And yet, as I hear Jesus speak these words, rather than put my worry into overdrive, instead it gives me pause and calm.
There are two truths I face in this text: first, that I have been amply provided for. I am grateful and realize that I am also fortunate.
The other truth is that none of my worrying ever brings me the hope or joy that God's kingdom - the one Jesus came to proclaim - brings me. That it is possible for me - even in a state of anxiety - to see the birds or the air or the lilies of the field, and know God's beautiful mystery is bigger than my worry. Thankfulness for that beautiful mystery is what brings me hope and joy.
This year, I am thankful for so many things, but I know that it isn't necessarily being thankful for those specific things that bring me closer to God. It is instead, living IN thanksgiving at all times - thankful for my first breath in the morning and feeling gratitude whatever my circumstances. It is in then that I will find God's kingdom.
Grateful people, I believe, are people who are free from the tyranny of worry. People who find joy in even places of darkness.
Happy Thanksgiving! And may you find the joy and hope today that God's Kingdom provides.
Thank you Lord for the love and peace you offer this world. Help me today to step into that loving embrace with gratitude and hope. Amen.
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