Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, [shall he] not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Matthew 6:25-30

I have a confession to make. I never sat down in a field of wild flowers and just studied them until I was 25 years old. I may have enjoyed picking flowers for my mom when I was a child but that love of God’s creation fled away as I grew older. Where did that joy of discovery go? What was the result of my negligence? Stress. and worry.

It has now been 25 years since I first sat down in that field and considered the beauty and detail of God’s creation. I haven’t always been diligent to observe this as I should. When I got too “busy” I would ignore it all and become more and more stressed and worried. But when I take the time to consider the evidences of God’s mercy and care all around me, the worries and stresses fled away from me!

If you have never taken the time, or it has been a while, start with this approach. Drive somewhere and count the number of birds you see along the way. Then do a little math. Consider how far you traveled and how many birds you saw on that trip. Then compare that small trip to the size of God’s creation–Earth. OK? God feeds ALL of those birds. And they are just birds! God will feed you as well.

Next, find some flowers. They don’t have to be wild flowers in a field in the country. Just find some flowers and study how they are formed. The intricate detail is amazing. The most beautiful of man’s constructed designs cannot match up to the detail of a little flower. They are so delicate in our hands and yet some can withstand thunderstorms. God gives them clothing and protection. God will clothe and protect you.

My wife, Terri, and I moved to rural Georgia in 2018 so that I could pastor Mount Paran Primitive Baptist Church. We have been trying to become more “self-sustaining” by learning to garden and raising a few cows and chickens. Do you know what we found? God’s designs are amazing! Plus, we get a closer look at how God takes care of us and our children.

I have found that I am not very good at gardening. I am even worse at tending to livestock. But I have also found this – God is good to us. God cares for us. He has provided for us through the fields of our labors, and through the love of neighbors, and church friends.

Don’t wait on this. Don’t put it off until tomorrow, the weekend, or your next vacation. Consider God’s handiwork today.

Oh, you know what else I have found?

Peace.

BTW – The image that accompanies this blog is a picture of a wild flowering bush that just popped up along our fence this year. WOW.