Just a Lily on the Prairie

Luk 12:22-32  And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.  For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!   And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?   Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.   But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!   And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried.   For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them.  Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.  “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

The above  were the verses that got me thru high school and the rest of my life, really. You see I was raised in a nominal Catholic home. I say nominal because my parents divorced when I was 6 and my sister was just a baby. My mom remarried fairly soon after to a Catholic man who had a daughter a year younger than me. We were sent to as Catholic grade school and eventually high school. We went to church every Sunday and we received all the appropriate sacraments. I don’t really remember much of anything that I heard in church all those years, except the above verses. My life was hard and unpredictable. My step-dad was a drunk and liked to use his belt on us. My mom left him, or they  left each other when I was 18.

I remember spending my lunch break in high school at the campus chapel for the communion service. I would sit there and pray that GOD would help me get thru another day. I would remember “consider the lily’s..don’t worry”  That was all I could remember. How sad is that? But really that was all I needed. That was the seed that was planted and that over the years to come would be watered by testimonies and fertilized by suffering.

I guess I should also confess that I am a recovering world class worrier. Just ask my husband, bless his sweet, patient soul. Because I am the kind of person who is the peace maker, the wave smoother, the “heavy” to make sure no fights break out. I am the oldest and I guess it just comes naturally. So I worry. After my mom and dad divorced I worried. My mom told me way too much about her issues and pain. That was a lot for a 6/7 year old to carry. I grew up fast. But Yahweh is all of HIS incredible wisdom knew I would be a worrier. So HE gave me HIS truth. Just a tiny bit of it…but enough to get me to where I could accept more and eventually hunger for more. HE  knew that I could not trust my parents. HE knew that I would seek acceptance where ever I could. HE was showing me, that wounded little girl, that I could trust HIM and HIM alone.

In the above verses Yahweh shows us that HE is worthy of our trust. That HE will take care of us. That HE will bless us and if we look to HIM for everything HE will give us HIS Kingdom. The trick is that we have to give up worrying. I think that giving up chocolate is a lot easier than giving up worrying.  Giving up cheesecake, or home made bread or even , it is almost unspeakable, giving up Mexican food. These are a walk in the park compared to walking away from ever worrying again.  Don’t you love how Abba asks us to do these seemingly easy things, Don’t worry, How hard is that?  It is easy when you learn to trust HIM.

So now you know a little about me.  “HI, my name is Teresa. I am a recovering worrier.” Our Heavenly Father knows what we need, when we need it and HE knows the difference between wants and needs. Have you ever really looked at the flowering weeds out in your yard?  Some of them are absolutely beautiful, tiny and soon to be mowed down but absolutely beautiful.  Who sees them? Your dogs as they are peeing on them? Or your children as they are wrestling around?  Their Creator sees them!!  He delights in them and glories in their beauty. HE is the master carpenter who adds incredible details to the underside of a staircase that only the mice will ever see. The mice and HIMSELF that is.

So is someone who puts that much time and effort into the weeds in your yard able to take care of your little problems? Do you think HE is big enough?  If we trust HIM and obey HIM and stop worrying we will be HIS children and become partakers of HIS Kingdom.  I think that I can handle that kind of agreement with HIM, how about you?

Mat 11:30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

My encouragement to you is to stop worrying, it will not add anything to your life, and to get to know your Creator and to learn to trust HIM. Read HIS story about how HE loves HIS people. Read how your Creator wants you to live your life so that you will be healthy and happy and set apart as one of HIS children.

My hope for this blog is to share my journey and the pits I have fallen in so that you may learn and go around the potholes in life.  Some of my writing will be about my faith, some about my marriage and some about my children and home education.  But above all I will be totally honest.  So put on a sweater, the sun is setting, and lets walk on this path together and learn from eachother the lessons of our Father.

Blessings in Messiah,

Teresa/Navah