Scripture: Luke 12:22-34
When Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Consider:
There’s a saying “Don’t yell fire in a crowded theater”, because there’s a worry everyone will panic and more people will get hurt than if you didn’t shout a potentially catastrophic phrase into the void.
I’ve recently learned this is a potentially dubious understanding of the actual rule, and modern legal scholars question it’s legal standing and purpose anyway. (The original law was later ruled an act of censorship and overturned). I’m not a legal scholar, so maybe look for that discussion elsewhere.
I do, however, happen to be an expert in fire safety in a theater, having sat through an entire semester of research, teaching, and learning about best practices to keep people safe in large crowds. (You’d never guess how often I use that bit of arcane knowledge in my daily life!)
In that theater safety class, I learned all about the fires which were actually happening in crowded theaters about the time this phrase entered our cultural lexicon - and it turns out the problem in those fires wasn’t people panicking and stampeding the doors - the problem was trying to get people to take the cry of fire seriously in the first place. They’d paid for this show and they were staying - right up to the point where the smoke started surrounding their seats. The panic wasn’t from talking about the fire, it was from ignoring it until the evidence filled their lungs and nostrils before they decided to act.
How often do we wait until something can’t be avoided before we try to act? This comes from our fear - our fear and worry that we won’t be up to the task, our fear and worry about the effects on our relationships, our fear and worry we’ll have risked for nothing.
But that fear causes to miss out on actually doing the good thing and the right thing at the moment when it could be avoided, changed, or improved. Instead of dealing with a small, manageable fire, we wait for the inferno to engulf us before we try to put it out. And that’s where the panic sets in.
Remember God cares about the small things as much as the big things. When we let our fear paralyze us, we forget God is there to help us tackle those small and the big, the simple and the complex. But, here’s the key, God can help us a lot more when it’s a spark and not a flame. Don’t let your fear feed the fire and don’t wait to ask for help.
Respond:
What is one "giant" fear in your life right now that, when held up against the light of God, is actually just a shadow?
Pray:
Father, I’ll be honest—I’ve been letting my “what-ifs” get way out of hand. Help me take a breath and look at the birds and the flowers. If You’ve got them covered, I know You’ve got me too. Instead of spinning my wheels trying to control things I can’t, help me just trust You and focus on what matters today.
Thanks for actually caring about the small stuff.
Amen.
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