The weather is getting warmer! I repeat, the weather is getting warmer! And as we all thaw out, if you're like me, you'll begin to notice some tension you didn't know you were feeling. A little Seasonal Affective Disorder that maybe slipped under the radar. I want to leave any and all anxiety I've been carrying behind in the winter! I want to flourish like the new grass!
Lately, small things that should not be a big deal have held way more power than they should. For instance, I finally let myself buy some new pants for myself and spend a little money, which is no easy feat for me. I stained them on the second day I wore them. And to further that, when I was trying to remove the stain, I accidentally took some of the color out of those spots. So these pants will be ruined forever turned into another article of clothing that I deem "Painting clothes". To say I was devastated is an understatement. I basically threw an emotional tantrum that could rival my 3 year old daughter. Why did I put so much importance on these pants? Where was I putting my hope? Where am I trying to find my value here? This was a big red flag that there was and is an area of my heart I'm not surrendering to God.
I was reminded about the imagery of grasses and fields in the Bible. In Genesis, "let the earth bring forth grass", in Isaiah, "your heart will be glad, you will flourish like the new grass". There are a lot of times when the grass is a symbol of renewal, creation, life! But we are reminded that the grass dies, that this life is fleeting. "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever" (Isaiah), "Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die... But the love of the Lord remains forever" (Psalm 203)
And when we remember that this life is short, that we should be living in light of eternity, the sobering call out of anxiety in Matthew 6:30 hits even sharper!
"And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?31Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’32For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.33But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" Matthew 6:30
My red flag that alerted me to the anxiety in my heart was literally about clothing. Talk about God being very straightforward in what He's trying to tell me! So I painted the grasses! I painted the fields. I painted the wildflowers. My wild grasses series is a reminder of these verses. That this world isn't our home, this life isn't forever, but our Lord God and the life we will live with Him is eternal. That can restore us, help us flourish in this time, as we cast our anxieties aside and trust Him. If God clothes the grasses, He has got us.
Comentarios