worry

"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 filed 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."
-matthew 6:25-34

yesterday as i was praying, i realized that i've been doing a lot of worrying lately. this, of course, has been brought on by circumstances, and all seem to be interrealated in some fashion. i haven't been doing too much since soccer has been over. my original intention was to get a job and start working to support myself. i hate asking my parents for money...i would rather earn it. so, i applied for a job. i've been waiting to see if i'd get it, and i got a call last week letting me know that they weren't hiring. also, with all the time that i've had since i don't do anything anymore, i've started to really work on some college stuff, which has got me thinking about the future. first of all, i have no clue where i'm supposed to go to college. i wish i could just know right now, but i don't, and so i wait on God. as i have been looking into college, i've been thinking about what i'll be doing after college. i feel like i have been called to ministry. however, i don't have any clue what that looks like. that worries me, because there is absolutely no security in it. and then, finally, there's the issue of females, which i won't go into. maybe if you ask me later i'll tell you about that...

anyway, i read this passage last night. i just love verse 33..."but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." although it is difficult to wait on God and to have faith, he makes an amazing promise to us here. Jesus says that he knows what we need, and he's big enough to give it to us. all he says for us to do is to seek after "his kingdom and his righteousness." that's huge! Jesus is essentially saying, "Hey, you, follow me and i'll give you everything you could possibly need...and then some." this reminds me of what peter writes in his second letter: "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness" (2 peter 1:3). God's given us everything we could possibly need, both for life and for godliness, and all we're called to do is to know him. basically God has offered us everything in Christ, and all we have do do is accept it and trust Him. colossians 2:10 says, "and you have been given fullness in Christ..."

if God is who he says he is, then we've got absolutely nothing to worry about. all he's trying to do is develop our character so that we can better give him the glory that His glory demands of us. in my situation, he is simply increasing my faith. if i really do want to give God the glory that He deserves, then I must have more and more faith, because hebrews 11:6 says that it is impossible to please God without faith. so, i must wait on Christ in faith. he's made me huge promises, and all i have to do is continually rely on him to bring those about.

and to think that i could do a better job on my own...

God, I'm sorry for trying to take things into my own hands too often. Thank you so much for the promises that you have made me in your word. I pray that you would increase my faith so that I might more heavily rely on you, the source of life, for my life. Do as you please to bring me to where you want me to be. You deserve all of me, and I pray that you would take all of me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.