Lilies

By Pastor Paul Gauche

Today’s Word: ‘Lilies’ as in “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet … even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.”

In Matthew 26, Jesus reframes life’s struggles by pointing to the Creator who is still creating ways for life to thrive, even in unimaginable circumstances. Everything we need comes from God. God feeds the birds of the air and clothes the grass of the field through the human community. No one is truly alone; we all take care of one another.

In her article, “The Ancient Guide For Uncertain Times,” Amanda Ruggeri synthesizes some ancient wisdom from the ancient Stoic philosopher, Epictetus, who didn’t have it easy. His story included torture, imprisonment, exile, and poverty. But out of his story comes wisdom that transcends the centuries. Here’s a small sample from her article:

Recognize what you can (and can’t) control

It’s not the events that disturb people; it’s their judgments concerning those events. So while we’re often overwhelmed by fighting against circumstances beyond our control, we also have the power to release our attachment to what isn’t in our power. And that liberates us to imagine healthier responses to evil in the world.

Help others, and ask for help – but protect yourself emotionally

Philosophers and theologians alike have always taught that the main goal in life is to excel at being human. The Hebrew and Christian scriptures teach that we are naturally drawn toward others with compassion when we live into our essential humanness. When nations or leaders of nations are not in touch with their essential humanness, the lesson is that we still have much work to do.

Jesus never said that the grass would not wither and fade. He didn’t say that the winds and rains would not fall hard against the lilies. What he did say was that he would be present with us. When we are present to one another, we reveal Christ’s love, mercy, justice, and compassion which, if you think about it, looks a lot like lilies in the field!

#100days50words

Paul Gauche is the Pastor of Life Transitions at Prince of Peace. His posts are part of his #100days50words project, where he blogs about a different word each week. You can follow his project on Instagram (@pgauche) or his blog, Thriving Rhythms.