Variety: Matthew 6:28–30
‘And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 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?’ Matthew 6:28–30
Our clothes say a lot about us, whether we mean them to or not. In this case they’re symbolic not only of our concern for our image but also of our concern for our daily needs.
Jesus is speaking to people who lived in precarious times. A bad harvest or a change of Roman policy could mean that all that they’d worked for could be lost in an instant. As a generation of people who’ve lived through Covid, are impacted by climate change, and live with global political instability, we can relate to this. Living with uncertainty leads us to worry about our day-to-day needs.
The thing about plants growing in a meadow is that they all grow and come into their fullness at a different rate. Plants bloom in succession, each in its own time. Some things zoom up, others come up slowly. No one type of plant is identical to another.
Like plants in a meadow, God calls each one of us to grow at a different rate, each of us unique, and shaped by where we are planted and our nature. Some seasons are for putting down roots and growing strong, others for flowering. We each bear seed and flower in a way that is our own. We cannot bear another’s fruit. Jesus says to his disciples not to worry about what we need or what we will look like, how we are perceived by others. We are not to compare ourselves to each other, but to trust that like he provides for the flowers God will provide for us. We are to display fruitfulness and beauty in our own way and in God’s time, right where we have been planted.
As you look out the window or go for a walk this week, take a look at the plants around you. Let them inspire you to trust that God has placed in you in your particular place so that you can be fruitful there. It may feel like you’re absolutely thriving, or like you haven’t yet come into full bloom. Jesus would say, ‘Don’t worry.’ Don’t be a lily comparing yourself to grass, or a cactus comparing yourself to a vine. God knows what he’s doing in and with your life. It’s God’s good design for you to be where you are, with the people you are among, bearing fruit and pointing to him.
Jo Trickey