Worrying through the Seasons

So i found out that today is the first day of Spring. And that led my mind to think about new beginnings. And that led my mind to worries. And that led my mind to Matthew 6:28-34. Jesus says,

And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don’t labor or spin thread.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these!  If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t He do much more for you—you of little faith?  So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’  For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.  Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

A discussion on worry led Jesus to talk about clothes. Clothes led Him to flowers. Flowers led Him to Solomon’s glory. Solomon’s glory led Him to the Kingdom of God.

If we think about it, there are tons of things to worry about in this life–some more legitimate than others. Chairs we sit in could break. Our food could give us food poisoning. We could get in a car accident on the way to work. Our clothes might stop fitting. Our friends might unfriend us on Facebook. We might lose our jobs. Starbucks might run out of coffee. A loved one could pass away. World War 3 might start.

And Jesus doesn’t mince words about this fact. He says very simply, “Don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (6:34).

As believers we are not to pretend that things can’t go wrong in life. We are not to pretend that there aren’t risks involved in our decisions. We are not to act like those who struggle with anxiety and worry are sub-par Christians.

What we are to do is heed Jesus’ words and overcome our anxiety and worry.

• Proverbs 3:5-8 (HCSB)
  “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding;  think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.  Don’t consider yourself to be wise; fear the LORD and turn away from evil.  This will be healing for your body and strengthening for your bones.”
• 1 Peter 5:6-7 (HCSB)
   “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time,  casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you.”
• Matthew 6:33 (HCSB)
  “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.”

And then, at the end of Revelation, we see a picture of the perfection of this kingdom that we are to be seeking now.

• Revelation 21:3-4 (HCSB)
   “Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look! God’s dwelling is with humanity, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away. “

God wipes our tears away even today when we take our anxieties to Him and seek His kingdom. How much better will heaven be?

This is why we should not allow anxieties and fears to overtake us in this life, regardless of what the next two hours, two days, two months, two years, or even two decades might hold for us. Our Hope is in heaven, and He is a person. If we look to Him, we can face our futures with confidence, even if everything in the world is falling apart around us.

Seek Christ. If you don’t know Him yet, your life will be miserable without Him. In fact, even with Him, your life will more than likely be miserable externally. But the fact is that He offers a peace that passes understanding. He died on the cross to pay the price for our sins. He rose from the dead to defeat sin and death. If the immortal One we follow, worship, and love allowed Himself to die, who are we to expect a comfortable life on earth?

Christ says, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it”  (Matthew 16:24-25).

But He also said, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

He will help you carry your cross. Believe in Him, trust Him, and cast your anxieties on Him. If you refuse, your anxieties and tears will necessarily follow you into hell and haunt you for eternity. Christ begs you to trust in Him.

On this first day of Spring, let’s commit to considering the flowers and remembering Jesus’ teaching on worry. Let’s seek His Kingdom and preach it to everyone we meet, and never get bogged down in the many anxieties of daily life.

Soli Deo Gloria.
Solus Christus.