“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? ²⁷ Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

²⁸ “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, ²⁹ yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. ³⁰ And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

³¹ “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ ³² These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. ³³ Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

³⁴ “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. Matthew 6:25-34

The Manager?

It’s easy for me to become concerned about many things. I’m much like Martha, rushing around doing many things, good things, mind you, but unnecessary things; things that God says not to worry about. Most of my efforts in life are to fix things, make things more “manageable”, make life simpler, all the while aspiring for these things brings more worry, heartache, frustration etc. into my life. God is not interested in my life being “manageable”; He is interested in being The Manager. This means I simply wait on Him. I pay attention to what He says. I don’t worry about tomorrow or yesterday; I intentionally pay attention to Him today.

The Worrier.

Jesus says don’t worry about these things that do not bring life but crowd life out. Like weeds that choke the beautiful flowers, so do these things kill the very life we seek. If God dwells within, Life is within. But we spend so much time worrying about worthless things that we never cultivate that life within. We can get caught in routines, habits, formulas, programs that promise life and yet are really hollow. Break out of the routine. Try a new value meal! Take a different route to work. Read your Bible in a new place. Talk to some new and different people.

The Wiser?

Jesus urges us to not worry or focus all of our attention on how how we make life better or prettier rather how we make life deeper. Jesus basically says let the flower adorn itself with what God has given it. Can one really improve upon a rose? However, it is important for the rose bush to be firmly planted to flower again next season.We would be wise to spend our time and energy focusing on our relationship with Christ than on what we are going to wear the next day, or how our hair looks, or whatever your vice may be. Think about that. I know there have been days where I’ve spent close to an hour in preparation to simply walk out of the door to meet no one in particular: to simply be viewed anonymously by others with no interaction at all. Perhaps if I had spent that hour in deeper relationship with Christ they would have seen Jesus instead!

The Gardener.

Sometimes we can spend so much time on de- weeding rather than cultivating the good soil and caring for the flower itself. God’s intention for us is not to really rid ourselves of all our weeds. His desire is for us to be firmly and deeply planted in Him. He is the Gardener (John 15) and we can leave the process to Him.  Focus on deepening the roots of the relationship and the weeds will fade away or He will remove them from the root.