22 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Therefore, I say to you, don’t worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. 23 There is more to life than food and more to the body than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither plant nor harvest, they have no silo or barn, yet God feeds them. You are worth so much more than birds! 25 Who among you by worrying can add a single moment to your life? 26 If you can’t do such a small thing, why worry about the rest? 27 Notice how the lilies grow. They don’t wear themselves out with work, and they don’t spin cloth. But I say to you that even Solomon in all his splendor wasn’t dressed like one of these. 28 If God dresses grass in the field so beautifully, even though it’s alive today and tomorrow it’s thrown into the furnace, how much more will God do for you, you people of weak faith! 29 Don’t chase after what you will eat and what you will drink. Stop worrying. 30 All the nations of the world long for these things. Your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, desire his kingdom and these things will be given to you as well.
Reflection‘
I have been a lifelong worrier. I experienced the “Sunday scaries” long before people talked about them. If I’m honest, I think I probably started in first grade. I remember struggling to fall asleep every Sunday night, my little mind afraid of what the next day might hold.
Even today, I am constantly concerned…for the people I love, for the state of the nation and the world, for the church and its ministry, for my own peace and flourishing. It’s exhausting.
I want so much when I read this passage and say, “You’re right, Jesus. I know you’re right.” I just wish I could find the switch that would allow me to let things go and trust God fully.
In our tradition we believe humans cooperate with God in bringing about the world God intends. That’s one of the things that I love, but also one of the things that I find difficult about a Wesleyan understanding of the divine-human relationship. It leaves a space to be navigated, between me doing MY part – working hard, thinking ahead, planning & preparing well – and trusting God to do God’s part. And I’m not sure we always navigate it well.
If we’re honest, isn’t most of our fear and worry about whether WE’VE done OUR part well? Have I done all I could? Did I make the right decisions? Did I anticipate all the potential problems? We put WAY to much emphasis on our side of the equation, to the point where God’s contribution seems negligible by comparison. “We don’t doubt God,” we say, “we doubt ourselves.”
But if we’re working together with God in this, isn’t it all the same?
Isn’t a deficit of faith a deficit of faith regardless of whether it’s in ourselves or in God?
Because when we doubt our own contributions, aren’t we also saying we doubt God’s ability to make up the difference? That we don’t trust God to pick up the slack?
Freedom from worry doesn’t arise from our ability to be more competent, to work harder, or to do more. It’s about faith in a God who not only sees but makes up for the places where we fall short. It’s about trusting Jesus when he says, “Your Father already knows what you need.”
by Joe Monahan
For Pondering and Prayer
Have you ever had a time when you felt underprepared, underqualified, or otherwise lacking in what was needed to meet an important moment in your life? How did you see God step in to fill the gap?
Prayer: When we are tempted to worry because we feel like we have not done enough, have not planned and saved enough, because we are not enough – remind us that you are always more than enough. Amen.
