As I look out my window on the rainy, spring-like morning with flowers beginning to bloom and trees beginning to bud, I am thankful for this time of year. Spring is my favorite time of year. The days are getting longer, I can get out and enjoy nature more and everything looks new and beautiful.

As I thought about the beautiful flowers, I was reminded of the passage in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount about the lilies and how God clothes them splendor. Jesus was teaching the crowd how to prioritize their lives and to not worry. That is a lesson I need to hear every day!

I must confess that I tend to be a worrier. I come by it honestly because my mother is also a worrier. If I was two minutes late getting home, she was ready to call the police. I find that my worry is usually about things that I cannot change or about things that are probably not going to happen in the future. Can you relate?
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Solomon says that we must acknowledge God in all our ways and turn over our entire life to him.

Planning is time well spent; worrying is time wasted. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference. Careful planning is thinking ahead about goals, steps, and schedules, and trusting in God’s guidance. When done well, planning can help alleviate worry. Worriers, by contrast, are consumed by fear and find it difficult to trust God. They let their plans interfere with their relationship with God.

Don’t let your worries affect your relationship with God – trust in Him to guide you and trust in the abilities He has given you to plan your life. As you look at the flowers and trees this Spring, remember that if God has taken care of their needs and clothed them beautifully, how much more He will take care of you. Amen.

God bless,
Rev. Carol Cook