Consider The Lilies.............

Consider The Lilies

Consider the lilies,
they don’t toil nor spin
And there’s not a king
with more splendor than them.
Consider the sparrows,
they don’t plant nor sow,
But they’re fed by the Master
who watches them grow.

Repeat Chorus

We have a Heavenly Father above
With eyes so full of mercy
And a heart full of love.
He really cares when
Your head is bowed low.
Consider the lilies
and then you will know.
Hmmmmm.....

May I introduce you
to this friend of mine,
Who hangs out the stars
and tells the sun when to shine.
He kisses the flowers
each morning with dew,
But He’s not too busy
to care about you.

Repeat Chorus

We have a Heavenly Father above
With eyes full of mercy
And a heart full of love.
He really cares when
Your head is bowed low.
Consider the lilies
and then you will know.
Yes, consider the lilies
and then you will know.

Lyrics by:  Joel Hemphill

OK, so I know all of the flowers depicted are not lilies; they're for effect.  Have you ever seen anything more beautiful than colorful fields or gardens with numerous varieties of flowers?  I'm absolutely no good at growing things; I may very well be the original brown-thumbed gal!  However, I certainly appreciate those who can and no one does it better than the Lord!

This song was very popular among Southern Gospel artists when I was younger.  Written by Joel Hemphill in 1977, it addressed the topic of worry by relating it to the teahing of Jesus in Matthew and Luke.  I don't necessarily enjoy that style of music, but I really like the lyrics of this song.

I have had a lot on my heart lately.  My mother-in-love is sick and getting weaker.  I have issues within my family that are conspiring to cause us to be facing Christmas without having our traditional family gathering.  I am angry and hurt because a couple of our family members have decided to live as though they have no faults and refuse to have Christmas as a family because they can't see their own sin as the same in God's sight as those whom they refuse to spend time with.

My youngest nephew is being deployed to Afghanistan next summer for at least 15 months.  This will be our last Christmas together until he returns.  And let's face it, there are no guarantees he will return.  Momma and Daddy would be rolling over in their graves if they were aware of what is happening in their family.  I fail to understand what one believes themselves to be accomplishing by separating themselves from their family.  Of course, there is a third family member involved here who is living in open sexual immorality, but he's not the first family member to do that.

While reading my Bible this morning and meditating on His word,  these verses kept coming into my mind.  No matter what the people you love are involved in, they remain your family.  Why is it so difficult for individuals who claim the name of Jesus Christ as their Savior to spend time with other family members.  I know the third family member is living in open sin; don't we all?  I wish I could say there has been at least one day in my life that I lived a sinless day.  Unfortunately, I cannot say that; I highly doubt any of them can either.

Reading these verses reminded me that God is in control.  I don't have to fret over this family situation; I can release it to Him and trust Him to work through His children to bring this to resolution.  If I sit and worry over it or lose sleep because of it, I still haven't changed one thing other than I'm worn out for taking on responsibility for something I have no ownership in.

Thank you, Jesus, for reminding me........I needed that!

Can worry make you live longer?   

If you don’t have power over small things,

why worry about everything else?

 Look how the wild flowers grow!

They don’t work hard to make their clothes.

But I tell you that Solomon with all his wealth

wasn’t as well clothed as one of these flowers. 

God gives such beauty

to everything that grows in the fields,

even though it is here today

and thrown into a fire tomorrow.

Won’t he do even more for you?

You have such little faith!

Luke 12:25-28   (CEV)