Consider the Lilies

“Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?... Consider the lilies of the field...”

• Matthew 6:27

Not technically lilies of the field. But azaleas are what we have.

Me: “Hi. My name is Stephen Wilkins. I'm a worrier.”

You: “Hi, Steve!”

That's right, I'm a worrier. Been that way all my life. But as you can surmise from the short dialog above, I put you in that category as well, since clearly we're both present at the same “Worriers Anonymous” meeting. Counselors and Psychologists love worriers—they look at us, and their minds fill with dollar signs.

In all seriousness, worry is part of human nature. In some ways, worry is protective, because it makes us anticipate possible alternatives for any given action. If I'm worried about something, then maybe I will be more careful down the road. But worry, as we very well know, can also hinder us and prevent us altogether from taking action. Worry quickly devolves into fear, if we're not careful.

Worry is part of human nature. So much so, that Jesus thinks it important enough to address in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus knows that it's part of human nature to worry; but he also knows that most of our worry is unnecessary.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life...” he says.

Yeah, right. Now I'm worried that you're trying to hide something, Jesus.

“No, seriously. Don't worry about your life,” Jesus insists.

Then he points us to the wonders of nature, and how gloriously God has provided for things of nature without one ounce of worry on the part of nature.

“Did the birds worry about their food?” No.

“Did the lilies of the field worry about how colorful they were going to be?” No.

“Then maybe you should stop worrying. Worrying never got anybody anything.”

I'm pretty sure Jesus is telling us that if God takes care of the little bird, and if God takes care of the flowers of the field, then surely God will care for you and me. “Your heavenly Father feeds the birds. Are you not of more value than they?... If God so clothes the grass of the field... will he not much more clothe you?”

The other day I went around our neighborhood taking pictures of the flowers in bloom. Spring colors have come to us early this year; what we normally see in mid April is now peaking in mid March. Carol urged me to get some pictures before the cold front came through. I'm glad she did, as I was able to capture a small sample of the beauty with which God graces us in the Lowcountry of South Carolina.

We may not have lilies of the field to consider. But we have azaleas and dogwoods and wisteria. Lots of it.

When I consider the attention to detail that God has given to every single blossom on these azaleas, then I am pretty confident that God is tending to my needs as well. Because as beautiful as the azaleas are, I am more precious in God's eye. You are more precious in God's eye. That's not being boastful; it's affirming the truth that every human being is of infinite value to God.

God gives us something that I'm reasonably sure God hasn't given to the birds of the air or the flowers of the field: God has given us faith. Faith is that wonderful gift that enables us to embrace God and trust God. Faith is that wonderful gift that makes it possible for us to let go of our worries.

We don't know what tomorrow will hold. Or the rest of today, for that matter. But we can be sure of this: God will be with us, and God is for us; and whatever it is we're worried about, God is already working on it.

So, consider the lilies of the field. Or the azaleas. And embrace what God has in store for us today.