Lilies of the Field

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own”. Matthew 6:34 NIV

My friend was telling me about the treatment his little toddler son was receiving after three surgeries for a brain tumor. I shared that my then 18-year-old daughter was diagnosed, one month before leaving for college out of state, with Type 1 Diabetes. We agreed that devastating news like this changes one’s life forever: nothing will ever be the same again. I commented that a phrase had recently been running through my head and I thought it sounded like something Shakespeare might have said: “Sufficient unto the day are the troubles thereof”. He hopped on the computer. “It’s from the bible: Matthew!” And he read on: “Therefore I tell you, not to worry about your life…..see how the lilies of the field…..look at the birds of the air…..the grass of the field”. All the wonderful images I love that have touched my Celtic soul. Why have I not paid more attention to the last lines of this teaching?

It was one of those devastating times when I received the phone call that my husband, who was out of the state, had had a stroke and was in the hospital. As l struggled to comprehend the new normal I learned the meaning of those profound words: each day has enough trouble of its own. It is in those times that we are forced to learn the lesson. Those are the times when we realize that there is only so much that can be accomplished in one revolution around the sun.

If we are fortunate enough we will come to appreciate the lilies and the birds and the grasses and be comforted by a loving God. We will find joy in our friends and loved ones who share our struggles, who forgive our irritability, who comfort our despair, who pray when we cannot, who just call to ask how we are doing today and offer whatever help they can. For me it meant that before starting the engine of my car I would sit for one minute and breathe quietly or the day I impulsively stopped for a pedicure and the kindness of the woman who did not wake me when she finished.

Yes, each day does have enough trouble of its own. I want to remember that on the days when I am not troubled as well and remember to stop, take a breath and appreciate the lilies God provides.