Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The Lilies


Luke 12: 22, 27-28 “And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on…Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you... But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today and tomorrow is thrown in the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!
I am, by definition, a “worry-wart”. I get anxious at every turn in the road. I predict a future of failure or defeat, only to find out that God was taking care of me all along and my worrying was simply unnecessary (false prophecy). I worry that I won’t make any friends in a new town, that moving will present too many complications for us to handle. I worry that I won’t finish my work on time, or that something terrible will happen to my husband at work. The list could go on and on. Then at the end of the day, I close my eyes in peace recognizing that all my worries were in vain and God was there all along.
We are in transition right now (once again) God has brought me to a current state of waiting. In this transitional waiting period, my anxiety is on overload. I so desperately want to predict the future or prepare myself for what’s next, but God just keeps saying, “No, just wait”. I have read this chapter in Luke a thousand times but never really found the hope that exists within the text.
Then it hit me!
In Luke 12:27 Jesus draws our attention to the lilies. Innocent flowers that bloom beautifully and every year and represent simple joy.  But these beautiful lilies they have no control of their existence. God keeps them hidden for the majority of the year and in His own time; He calls them out every spring to display His glory. In their own splendor, they praise the Creator simply by growing tall and sharing beauty and grace with the world.
I want to be a lily. To trust that God will keep me in a time of waiting until I’m ready to bloom. To trust Him to clothe me in righteousness and provide all that I need. Lilies are innocent beauty, but I have been made in God’s own image. So how much more will God take care of me?
Spring flowers are blooming and the beauty of new life is in the air. So this spring I am freeing myself of the burdens from anxiety and fear and replacing it with the innocent faith of a lily.

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