Consider the lilies

And Jesus said:

Don’t fret over your life!
Don’t be anxious for what you’ll eat.
Don’t worry about what you’ll wear.
Your life carries more than food,
and your body wears more than clothing.

Think about the ravens:
They neither plant seeds nor harvest,
and they have neither barns nor warehouses,
but your Father tends them.

Aren’t you a bigger treasure than birds?

Worry cannot add one inch
or ounce or hour to your life!
So if you can’t make yourself grow
even a tiny bit,
why worry about the rest?

Consider the lilies.
See how they grow?
They do not work or weave,
but I tell you that even the glorious
King Solomon had no finer attire.

So, if God dresses up field grass
with the finest wildflowers that wilt
and dry up as if in a fire,
just think how much more
God desires to take care of you
and your little faith!

So, don’t keep straining
and stressing over food and water,
and don’t keep worrying.

All over the world people
work for more things,
and your Father knows your needs,
but instead of the world’s way
that doesn’t work well, I suggest
you try this:

Work toward the Kingdom of God
with God-speed,
and you will surely be given
whatever you need.

©2013, Mary Harwell Sayler, prayer-a-phrase of Luke 12:22-31, today’s Daily Bible Reading in the Gospels

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