‘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. ‘So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today. Matthew 6:25-34
It is astounding, in a world of so much strife and division, that the birds still sing and the lilies still grow. Yet if we look around us, as Jesus suggested the disciples do, we can see gorgeous signs of the Creator's care for us. The jonquils and crocuses, the grasses returning and even the dandelions are bright reminders of the love our Creator has for us, and how deeply we are cared for. Oh, it may not feel like it, and it can be explained away true, yet if we look at the bounty, we just might be grateful instead of scared. We might just be delighted for a moment instead of panicked. God is with us in our hard times as well as the splendid ones and there is evidence of that tender care, if we but look around.
Gracious Creator, you bring us life every morning
while the dew is still on the morning flowers
you are providing for us and loving us all.
We live in times of conflicts and great uncertainty
where people are divided by walls formerly destroyed
and old wounds are making old men seek revenge.
You remind us today to look at the beauty abounding
to trust that are needs are already met and our lives
are in your hands surrounded by your heart of love. Amen.
