God looks after our “feathers”

What does Jesus mean when He says He will “clothe us”? What does He mean by telling us that He provides for the birds of the air and the lilies on the ground; therefore, He will care for us. Does He mean He’ll take care of everything and there’s nothing we have to do?

Hardly.

Laziness is enthusiastically abhorred throughout the scriptures.

So how do these verses work together? One thing is sure:

God does not contradict Himself.

(It may seem like it, but He doesn’t. It would take me hours to explain this.)

As with most of Jesus’s teachings, He illustrates His points using examples common to the culture at the time. In this case, it’s birds and  flowers. Other times it was nature, seeds, fields, farming, fishing, etc.

If the teaching were given today it would be centered around our cell phone use, our TV watching, our jobs , sports. But the message would be the same.

The point of these kinds of teachings is to remind us that as long as we are rightly related to Him, He will look after the details in our lives. It’s when those details become more important than the big picture that we get into trouble.

I find myself there now, concerned about the details of caring for a depressed person who is staying with us for a period and forgetting the big picture. The big picture here is getting her healthy again and

not  be overly concerned about how to cook vegan meals, the laundry, the distribution of chores.

(I’m definitely a “Martha”, aren’t I?”)

It was very hard in the beginning. I felt stressed with the responsibility for her life. I didn’t like having my routine interrupted. I still don’t. But I keep coming back to “Consider the lilies”, meaning the big picture.

When we’re in the middle of stressful circumstances, it’s easy to get caught up in the details. When Jesus personifies lilies, He’s saying, “You be concerned about your growth. I’ll take care of the soil.”

I hope I will look back at this time in her life and mine as a time we both grew in our faith That we both learned from each other. That we both see God’s hand in all of this.

God bless and I hope you have a good day.