Consider the Lilies n Chill!
When I was a boy growing up, my grandma’s old house had huge gardens. Come June, my Dad would be working the tiller while my Mom, brother, sisters and I would be planting the seeds. One garden held enough potatoes for the year. Others held corn, carrots, cabbages, onions, tomatoes, cantaloupes, and watermelons. There were also so many flowers. My grandma had a special love for them and nurtured them. Flowers surrounded her old house and every year she would plant new ones, and sing while she worked.
One June I can remember helping her go around the house pulling weeds and watering the freshly planted flowers. She was so gentle with them and gave them such love and care, it was no wonder they grew so fast. When we were done, I ran to get my bike to ride awhile. As I was getting on it, however, I noticed something. I got back off and knelt down on the concrete stoop that led into the house. There, growing out of a crack in the concrete without water, soil, or love was a single dandelion.
Matthew 6:28–29
“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
You may think that you must work very hard to provide for yourself and get ahead in life. But God wants you to consider the lilies of the field—they do nothing. They toil not, spin not, and struggle not. Yet, they grow and are clothed by God while simply resting and basking in the sunshine of God’s love! And when God clothes them, they look even more glorious than King Solomon, the richest king who ever lived.
At times in my own life I have felt nurtured, watered, and cared for like grandma’s flowers. Everything was going smoothly at work, at home and everywhere I turned life smelled like roses. At other times, though, I have felt like I was that dandelion having to grow through solid concrete all through my own efforts. Work harder! Work smarter! Put in more hours! I needed control; I wanted to direct how things went.
God loves you so much, that he promised to never leave you or forsake you. He’’ll be there supplying what you need on the good days, and he already has prepared an answer for those hard days. Relax and consider the lilies of the field. Rest in the promises God has given you. Believe the gospel and live and grow.