Consider the lilies, they toil not nor spin,
They bask in God's sunshine; they drink in God's rain.
If God cares for them in such marvelous ways,
How much more, how much more, how much more
Will He care for me and supply every need every day .
-Author unknown
Matthew 6:28 Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry…
Consider the buttercups of the meadow, the dandelions in the lawn, the poppies of the garden…or the iris. All of them are ordinary "garden variety" flowers, ready at just the right time, their time, to shine forth and bloom. For a day. Or two. The iris, maybe a few days more. The buttercups have a longer season; they've been nodding and smiling for about a month now, and they'll keep it up until the farmers have finished their first cutting of hay. Then, the hired boys or the younger brothers will be busy mowing pastures, and the tender stems will be cut off at the ground and left to wither and die in the hot sunshine. They neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. Each species displays the delicate petals of exquisite color and finery. They do it every year, in the same order in my Hickory Lane garden. The common Johnny-jump-ups bloom first… (after the daffodil/tulip/crocus show.) Then the extravagantly orange poppies wave and sway, followed by the stately iris who simply stand in regal splendor. It's a treat when their bloom times overlap for a few days. But soon, so very soon, the blooms fade, the petals rain like garden tears across the mossy paths, and they are finished. And then what? |
So, I've been pondering these verses from Matthew 6 since last week when I first tried to write about them and ended up writing about the birds. Why "do not worry" right here, right now? How do these flower verses speak to the issue of worry? It's not like Jesus says, "Consider the lilies, they are clothed beautifully by God and they last forever." They do, after all, still end up in fire. So, from a flower's perspective that might be worry worthy. But what about me? And you? More tomorrow. (Or Friday…)
-HumminB .