Wednesday, August 3, 2011

The Lilies of the Field


Consider how the lilies grow.  They do not labor or spin.
Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor
was dressed like one of these.
Luke 12:27

My youngest daughter is what I would call a clothes horse.  No, she is not a rack on which to dry clothes (first definition in Webster’s).  She is a young woman who loves fashion, never met a shoe she didn’t like, and continues to accumulate things like jeans when she already has drawers full of them.  She has a friend from high school who produces an extraordinary blog about fashion – particularly how to dress like a celebrity [Steal Her Style] without spending celebrity prices. The copycat outfits are ingenious, but still cost more than I am willing to pay.  I shop at Marshalls (discount), Target (inexpensive), The Clothes Tree (consignment), Goodwill, and the ROC thrift store.  I like to dress well, but I just don’t have the budget to pay retail prices.

Luke 12:22-31 is part of a discourse by Jesus to His disciples, talking about worry: worrying about where to live, what to wear, what to eat and drink.  Sometimes we are so driven by providing a life for ourselves and our families that we have no time to stop, relax, smell the lilies, play with the dog, romance the wife, have fun with the kids, take a long walk, or spend a few moments in prayer and meditation. 

Lilies are herbaceous flowering plants grown from a bulb.  I was never a fan of lilies, because I do not like the color orange.  Imagine my surprise when, leaving Arizona, I discovered a whole range of colors that grow in abundance here in Virginia.  When I purchased my home, I found a bed of the most gorgeous pink lilies – so beautiful that they literally stop traffic when they are in full bloom.  They did no work to be that way – their beauty is a gift from the Father’s hand. 

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, O ye of little faith.
Luke 12:28


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