DO NOT BE ANXIOUS

Reading from Luke Ch. 12 vs 22-34

I found myself feeling sad and encouraged after reading this passage. I know about it and here and there I tell myself some of these things depending on what I’m experiencing but It really dawned on me that I don’t actually do these things or should I say fully depend on God. I worry a lot and often try to figure things out and so currently as my life falls apart, God used this passage to remind me what I need to actually do as we begin to start over and rebuild me. It’s funny because the very things he starts with mentioning are a few things I’d say have been preoccupying my mind. He says to not be anxious about what you’ll eat or about your body and what you’ll wear for life is more than food and clothing. With no longer having a source of income I’ve been trying to figure out where I’ll like survive from without needing to ask for help. I might need to, but I don’t really want to if that makes sense and so I’m worrying.

I believe Jesus is telling me through this passage that it doesn’t have to be this way and he describes the situation of nature using ravens or birds who do not sow, reap and store, yet God feeds them. He says aren’t we of more value than they and also when we do worry or are anxious can we add even an hour to our lives? He says if we can’t even do something as small as that why should we be anxious about the rest? He makes a good point but when I was really dwelling on this I just thought about the birds or animals, like yeah they do go out and search for food but they don’t worry about finding even if they do or don’t. God is concerned for them to know they don’t have the kind of capacity to do the sowing or raring and he makes sure they have all they need. I might not have the security of a monthly income but I must have the trust in God who is the source of all things. The thing with worry is it makes your mind go on and on trying to figure out how to solve things but when you don’t actually have solutions it can lead you to wallowing or feeling depressed. Jesus says why worry, you can’t even make yourself live longer, why are you anxious about anything when you’re not even in control of whether you live or die? Animals just live as the days come, and I think he is saying we should be the same. They don’t preoccupy themselves with tomorrow, God provides each day and he will do the same for us, he values us way more.

Jesus then talks about the lilies and how they grow, they don’t like make clothes or weave yet Solomon was never arrayed like them in his glory. He speaks on how God clothes the grass that gets stamped on and is here today and tomorrow burned up in an oven. How much more will God clothe us and he says we have little faith and I agree. I’ve been home at the farm this week, my mother loves plants and flowers, and I’ve been walking around or just sitting in random spots and there’s usually some flower close by looking so pretty. They don’t try, they just are, God dressed them that way, just like the grass, nice and green with dew and maybe a little brittle or withered by the end of the day but they aren’t complaining they just live. Not that they can change anything but it’s like these are things that die, maybe they get picked and are used but they die, God made them look that nice and they don’t even stay around that long. What more us that he has relationship with and loves? It’s so easy to get so lost in things that don’t matter much, the Israelites walked through the wilderness for years without making clothes but their clothes grew with them. God loves and cares for us in every way, can he fail to dress us? I understand that we think about the specificities but do these things even matter that much? And if they do can God fail to give them to us? I think it’s really about looking at who God is and getting to a point where we really depend and rely on him, if we can’t leave the little things to him like food and clothes, how will we leave the big things like say our health to him?

Jesus then just blatantly says for us to not seek after these things like what we’ll eat or wear and how the people or nations of the world do this. Our Father God knows that we need them and so rather we should seek his kingdom first and these things will be added to us. It seems to be a thing of the world to try to figure out or know where everything will come from, how we will sustain ourselves or just be self-sufficient and such and Jesus doesn’t want us to be this way. God understands our needs so we can leave those things to him, rather than use up all our energy and resources trying to find solutions to things we might not be able to solve and end up worrying about them, he invites us to seek his kingdom and everything will be taken care of or added to us. Seeking his kingdom is dong or helping build his ministry, he is saying go out and just be present, love and serve others in the different ways you can. Read the word, grow with and in him and share the good news of Jesus Christ to others. If you can’t work or don’t know what you can do, you can do that, use what you have to help people get saved and he’ll look after you.

He says “fear not, little flock, for it is your father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” and I smiled reading this. He wants you to get closer to him and grow with him and do his will, you don’t have to worry about that, you just have to want it or seek it. It seems like a shift from what we begun with, the clothes and food and now its kingdom information but I believe that’s the actual point. We miss it half the time, at the core of everything, what’s actually important is eternity, but we get so preoccupied with life here on earth and are anxious about figuring these things out and have forgotten about the real important thing which is actually seeking God and his kingdom first. If we can be so preoccupied with this I don’t think God can fail to give us everything else or rather just help us with the whole life here on earth thing. Jesus does add that we should provide ourselves with moneybags that won’t grow old and this he says is by basically storing or keeping our treasure in heaven that does not fail, where thieves don’t steal or moths destroy. That where our treasure is there our hearts will be also, it’s a very good point. Think about being anxious, your mind is fixated on a particular thing and figuring it out, if it requires money to get it as most things do, your mind will be on making money and your attention focused there. Your heart will be on those things rather than on what’s important and yet these things will fade away and once you die they remain here. So then what actually do we do or how do we store up these treasure in heaven that we won’t lose?

 It’s in the same seeking of the kingdom of God, when we do all those things like serving and loving others or just sharing the good news we store up treasures in heaven. It’s not something we often benefit tangibly here even though sometimes we might, it does make us rich in spirit and help us be better and love God even more. If we seek his kingdom first our priority will be on him and he takes care of everything else and we are storing up those treasures that we’ll benefit in eternity. We are in this faith and we must understand what the end is, if we do then we know that these things are of great value to the believer. We are helped both now and later, I understand that it doesn’t change the fact that you’ll still need things here but it’s about changing your mind/thinking and learning to truly depend, rely and surrender things to God. We must know or rather trust that he can provide everything we need from the little things like food and clothes to where you’ll sleep and you can list the rest. He cares for you, he really does, don’t forget that, these are small things that we deal with in this life so don’t worry, what shall separate us from his love? Jesus loves you always!