31 Days of UnitySample

(Re)flect: One thing that is deeply unhelpful when you are worried is for someone to tell you not to worry. “Don’t worry about it! It’s no big deal. It will be fine.” These statements do very little to impact our stress or anxiety, except for maybe adding to them!

What then do we make of Jesus saying, “Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; about your body, what you will wear”? (Matthew 6:25) How can Jesus tell us not to worry? Eating and drinking are no big deal if you have food and water, but if you are starving, they are literally life-and-death issues. When Jesus spoke about worry and its relationship to life in the kingdom of God, he wasn’t merely offering a platitude. Jesus wasn’t being calloused or uncaring. It was quite the opposite. Jesus was calling his disciples, and us, to pay attention to how much God cares and all God is doing to provide for our needs.

Jesus invites us to look at creation to understand the heart of God being revealed. Creation is good and filled with abundance. Balance and provision are built into the goodness of the world around us. The birds of the air, the plants growing in the fields, and all the intricate and beautiful natural systems of provision show the care of God woven into creation. Our God is a provider. If our God cares about all of creation, how much more so does God care about us, God’s children, who are created in God’s image?

Life in the kingdom of God transforms our worries by allowing us to experience the abundance and provision of God. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray he told them to pray for daily bread, protection, and deliverance. This daily prayer and our seeking after God’s kingdom counterbalance our very real and legitimate worries. As we seek unity together, there are a lot of things to worry about. This is hard work, and the way forward is often hidden from us. But, God's love for us displayed in creation, and God's steadfast love throughout our lives, are a foundation of faith allowing us to navigate our worries.

After you read the passage, ask yourself these questions:

• What are the biggest worries in my life, today?
• When has God proven God’s love and faithfulness to me, in the past?
• Do I believe that God cares about me and my needs?
• What daily bread do I need to pray for today? God is listening.

Our Prayer for (Re)flection:

Lord, reveal how we have failed to be obedient to you and to love one another as the children of God. We long to be unified through your love and as the body of Christ. Renew our hearts and minds through your unending love, and give us the courage to surrender ourselves to your Spirit this day. Amen