Milk – Eggs and Worry

That is why I say to you; don’t worry about living—wondering what you are going to eat or drink, or what you are going to wear. Surely life is more important than food, and the body more important than the clothes you wear. Look at the birds in the sky. They never sow nor reap nor store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them.  Matthew 6:25-26 Phillips

As a native New Englander I confess that we do brag a lot about our toughness when it comes to winter. We laugh uproariously at stories of school districts in the South shutting down because of a couple of inches of snow. But no matter how many winters we have lived through our response to snow falling on our own street stays the same. “Honey, can you run to the store and pick up some milk and eggs?” Despite the logical conclusion that hens will keep on laying and cows will continue to give milk, we go into panic mode! No matter how tough we pretend to be, Jesus knows us all the way to the core of our fearful hearts. He sees that no matter how many times He has provided daily bread and protected us through long cold nights that at the first sign of a storm we act as if God might not take care of us this time around.

But if we watch the birds as Jesus tells us to do, we’ll notice that none of them stay up late at night looking for seeds to pluck from the bushes or worms to pull from the ground. They simply fold their wings, tuck their heads and drift off to sleep.

They somehow know that tomorrow will always dawn with all they need to get by. So whether you are wondering if there will be milk and eggs at the store when the snow melts or panic buying toilet paper in the pandemic, what counts is not on how tough we are, but who we are looking to for help. If we look to Jesus we will be amazed to discover once again, that the same God who is an expert on feeding birds, knows exactly what we need today!

Trust the Catcher! — My Pastoral Ponderings

As we fly through this stressful, unpredictable year, Henri Nouwen offers a wonderful metaphor and image to cling to, that we can trust the Catcher.

Trust the Catcher! — My Pastoral Ponderings

I don’t reblog many posts but this wonderful illustration and story from Pastor Lawrence so touched my heart that I felt compelled to share on Praise2worship. I have so often tried unsuccessfully to maintain control of my circumstances all the while God is calling for surrender. Jesus said that if we want to find our life we must first be willing to lose it for Him.

Desert Temptations

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. Matthew 4:1

The great temptation that we face is to seek help and hope and honor from men instead of being satisfied with what God Alone provides.

A desert is an empty and dry place where little survives and what grows there is gnarled or covered with thorns. But the Spirit led Jesus there and He will certainly give to us seasons to be there also. It is not a place we would have chosen but it is necessary, because there we learn to depend on daily bread baked in our quiet time with Him, rather than the seemingly spectacular loaves that the world’s advertisers insist we must buy.

There on the rocky paths He sends His angels to guard us along a plain pathway. That protection covers us as we brave necessary dangers of obedience not the thrill of showing off our freedoms and rights for everyone to see.

He doesn’t require us to gain worldly fame instead He simply gives us fruitfulness as we obey His command to love those around us.

If we want to find God’s joy and peace and love then we need to look for them where Jesus did. Only there, out in the wilderness can God faithfully show us His way. In that place Jesus was satisfied that the Father was completely pleased when He trusted in His word. If Jesus had to live in humble surrender rather than by insisting on His rights then how much more should we?