Seek First

| May 13, 2010

Ever wonder what God really wants for you in life?  I hope you have.  I’m guessing you’re like me and constantly asking God to guide your decisions.  Lately, my wife and I have been thinking about moving into a house outside of town, a big jump from the apartment we’re in now.  That in turn means more money and, being on a tight budget already, we are seeking God’s will for our family. 

Our prayers and discussions have led me to thinking, “If only we had ‘X’ amount of money more…”  You’ve been there, haven’t you?  “If only…” can become pretty harmful.  There are a couple people close to me that are in the late stages of battling cancer and it’s made me think a lot about what I want to be able to look back at in my life.  Do the “if only”’s really matter that much?

I was walking down with my boys today to go check how my dad’s doing, praying for him, when I became distracted, like I’m sure you do too.  I saw a shrub and thought, “If the house has any like that I wonder if they’ll mind if we cut them down.” Immediately a flood of worry and negative thoughts overcame my mind.  “I’ll never be able to afford a better place, I’ll never be able to provide for my family, what are we going to do, it’s hopeless, etc.”  As I was thinking all this, I saw a very small bird sitting there.  It had a little stick in its mouth and Matthew 6 jumped into me.  I was so overwhelmed I almost started sobbing there on the sidewalk.  Here it is in case you need to hear it too:

 

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.