Enjoying the moment

Matthew 6:25-34

²⁵ “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 than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ 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? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ 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—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.


About a week ago I referred to the writings of Solomon in Ecclesiastes. Thinking of that passage and the wisdom Solomon shared, I'm struck by the joy we can find in the moments of life that God gives us.

As recorded in Matthew's gospel, Jesus taught the disciples and others on the mountain with him, to set worry aside. God's provision is such that we need not worry.

It's so easy to worry. It's certainly something with which I struggle. There are so many things that creep in to our lives. Money, relationships, work, any number of things can grab our attention. This time of the year it gets worse, for me at least. 

Then I come across a family in worse straights than mine, and I stop and think, "wow, look at that. They have nothing, but they are so joyful just the same." And I suddenly feel like a heel.

I grew up in poverty. I didn't know it at the time. It wasn't until I was in my twenties that my dad told me how bad it really was. He worked three jobs, and my mom, despite her college degree,  worked as a waitress when I was very young, and later as a Christian school teacher. By the time I was ten, we pulled just over the top of the poverty line,  but it didn't matter. We were happy, healthy, clothed and fed. 

I look at my life now. My wife and son and I have a house (sure it's a townhouse but it's warm and dry), two cars (both are actually quite nice, if a bit on the high mileage side of things), a scooter each for my son and I, a tv (its tiny by today's standards, but it works), internet, a computer, tablets, phones, and so on. We have so many blessings, including a job that I love.

But I forget to see the joy in those blessings. I forget to look back and see what God has done and thank Him for the way He has provided. 

He has provided so much, yet I still worry for the future. Ok, so I'm not a millionaire.  I'm not working at the top tier of a fortune 500 company. I don't have a house with a five car garage and a Jaguar in the drive (scratch that, I do have the Jag, but I got it on the cheap). I don't wear Armani, my wife doesn't wear Prada, and my son doesn't have the pair of Jordans that came out next month. We don't have a 500 inch television,  or a pool, or a helipad on the roof.

But...

we have family, we have love, and we have faith.

It's enough.