Do Not Worry

Have you noticed how much the flowers have exploded this week? Driving through the Shirley Hills neighborhood is like driving through a Monet painting—everywhere you look there are signs of life, new color, and a little pollen. But the explosion of color from my office window onto the bright pink azaleas don't always match how I feel about the world.

These days, I have to limit the amount I read the news. A few years ago I already got off social media, in large part because the amount of shouting online simply didn't make up for the number of cute babies others would share. Between the FOMO (fear of missing out) and the clever marketing teaching unrealistic expectations for our lives, it was simply too much noise online for me. I want to stay informed of all that is going on in the world and with my friends, but I simply can't take it all in.

Even with those boundaries for my sanity, if I think too hard about war and rumors of war, violence in our city, or our weekly grocery trip getting a little more expensive each week, I find myself getting a little overwhelmed. We live in challenging days.

But in my moments of worry, anxiety, or fear, I have found myself humming this little song by Ellie Holcomb that we played for the children last summer at Camp Wild Wonder. It's called Do Not Worry, based on the words of Jesus in Matthew 6. I love the reminder to see the birds singing in the air and the flowers in bloom as a reminder of God's goodness. Maybe it's a gentle nudging of the Holy Spirit, or the birds actually singing all around us, but as I hear the words,

"look around you,

Try to listen to the song creation sings

And don't you worry 'cause you're in the hands

Of the God who made everything"

I remember that God is making good things in this world. The song says over and over, we are in the hands of the God who makes everything. It doesn't make the terrible things of the world go away,  but it does put into perspective that maybe God is still making things beautiful. If God can make great things out of azalea bushes, and redbuds, how much more can he do with our lives? That remains to be seen. But in the meantime, remember, you are in the hands of the God who made everything.

If you have a minute, read the passage the song is based on. I like this version the best:

Matthew 6:25-34 (The Message Version)

^25-26 “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.

^27-29 “Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

^30-33 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

³⁴ “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.