Consider the Lilies

You are loved more than the flowers in the field.

“Pick anything. Don’t worry about the price,” she told me. “I know as a missionary you probably feel like you have to go for the cheapest thing but don’t.” My cousin was already treating me to a pedicure—a very rare treat. In fact, the last time I had gotten a professional pedicure was right before my best friend’s wedding, and she and her husband are coming up on their fifteenth anniversary.

It was a cute boutique full of autumn fashions and cosy sweaters. My eye was immediately drawn to a burnt orange knit sweater. I loved the style, but when I looked at the price tag it was more than I would normally pay for one item of clothing. I browsed the store a couple more times, but each time I felt pulled back to that sweater.

“I love this one,” I told my cousin. “It’s very you,” she said, and without hesitating, she bought it. Every time I wear that sweater, it feels like a warm hug—a reminder that God cares for me and my love for autumn colours and soft fabrics. What a sweet gift it is when His children go the extra mile to bless someone He has laid on their hearts to bless.

We are physical creatures who love texture, colour, smell, and the luxury of choosing pieces to add to our wardrobes that reflect our personalities. “Consider the lilies,” Jesus tells His followers in Matthew 6:28-30. “Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (ESV).

We don’t have to be anxious. Isn’t it beautiful that our Father knows our needs, our preferences, our styles? He created us, and He is a God who clearly loves variety. So, when I slip on that burnt orange sweater, it’s a reminder that I’m loved more than the flowers in the field—and so are you. You are loved, deeply loved, by the Creator of the universe. He knows your needs, and He loves to give good gifts to His children!