It is that time of year again, when slowly life begins to bloom again. One of the first blooms in my yard is the Japanese Magnolia, which has the unique quality of blooming before it buds the first leaf. In the dreariness of late February when it seems like winter will never end this plant dresses up my yard. The grass is still brown, most days the skies are still gray and even when it is unseasonably warm, the atmosphere still looks like Winter. When I see it blooming, I am reminded of the verses above.

There was a time in my life when I worried a lot. I worried about bills, relationships, and the unknown possibilities that life can throw our way. I was really good at worrying. I could tie my stomach up in anxiety knots, lose sleep and I would generally let my imagination run wild. When I discovered this jewel of biblical text about worrying, it truly set me free. It didn’t happen overnight. No, I had to intentionally rehearse the verses in my head whenever something would lead me down the worry trail. I had to learn what it meant to seek God first and his righteousness and apply it to my life. Over time I worried less and trusted God more.

Generally speaking, I am not a worrier any more. I do get concerned about things that are out of my control or the changes happening in my life that I am unsure of what the outcome will be, but I don’t classify myself as worried. The past few months have had its share of situations that disrupted some things in my life. I’ve had far more doctor visits and tests and other things happening than I am used to experiencing, that many people say just comes with age. There has been an uptick of violence in my community and within the church community that has to some degree touched me personally. Then there is always the uncertainty of what tomorrow holds. All of these things have concerned me, so when I drove into my yard one day not too long ago and saw the beauty of the Japanese Magnolia budding out, I received a gentle nudge and reminder that the same God who causes this plant to bloom every year is the same God who is holding me and the whole world in His hands.

This is what Jesus was saying when he taught the people. He was in the Sermon on the Mount event, expounding on the many ways that God’s take on the day-to-day transactions of our lives is in many ways flipped over from what human and cultural norms expect. Specifically, he had just spoken about not becoming overly attached to material goods (v.19-21), how an unhealthy view of things can lead us into darkness (v.22-23) and the difficulty of serving two masters (v.24). This portion about worrying (v.25-34) emphasizes the vanity and stress of overly concerning ourselves with basic needs. The God who cares for birds and flowers will have an even greater concern for caring for humanity. Instead, Jesus says to turn our focus on the things of God, the care of our souls and everything else will follow. It brings me great comfort to look at things through this lens. It is what drives me to insist that churches not worry about finances over worship, especially when planning a church event. I whole heartedly believe that when we put our focus on how the event will bless God and bless others, the finances will follow. More importantly, the people’s minds are now turned towards God who is able to abundantly provide everything we need. Invariably, God provides.

This is not a laissez faire attitude, in which one is saying whatever will be, will be. Instead to truly adopt these verses and apply them to our tendency to worry, we must seek God first. Seek Him in prayer, in His word, in the multitude of ways that He can present Himself to us, in songs, the Holy Spirit and even in the simple things of life like a Japanese Magnolia in bloom on a dreary late-winter day.