There is more to life than you think
“Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?”
There is more to life than food, clothing, security, status and enjoyment. These things in and of themselves are good. It is good to want these things. However, to be anxious about them - to be overly concerned - that is heading towards a danger zone.
There is more to life than worrying about these things. Anxiety has us fixated on these things as though they are the end all be all. Our survival depends on it. Well that is true to some extend, we need food to prevent starvation and diseases, clothing to protect us from the elements, drink to aid in our bodies to function well. However, life is more about survival and security. Verse 25 says do not worry, there is more to life than these things. Jesus is shifting our intense focus from these things and calls us to look somewhere else, better yet to take a step back from it all and look at things a different vantage point.
What is it that has you holding tightly to is as though your life and sense of self depended on it? In this day and age, our needs have become more complex. The need for an iPhone is almost at the same level as the need for a loaf of bread. So, what is it for you? Your degree? Your friends? Your Instagram account? Money? Your relationship? Your family? What is it?
God in his verse tells us that there is more to life than the things we think we really need. Further in the passage he assures us that he knows we need these things (food, clothing etc v25), that he will provide these things too. He is our heavenly father who cares, is generous and lacks nothing. We have no reason to be anxious. How much more when it comes to our complex desires that we have clung on to - he know where our hearts stand with those things too! And to them he also says, there is more to life than these things! He tells us step back and look at the bigger picture, look at things from the perspective of the his kingdom and his plans in Jesus Christ. You will find that your intense desires that have you anxious pale in comparison in light of the perspective of the Lord’s kingdom that is trustworthy and endures forever. Loosen your grip that you may pursue and follow the kingdom of God and his righteousness. The Lord who cares for our immediate needs and knows the other complex needs and desires that we have he will provide for us. He will provide for that which he has promised as we see in this passage. He will provide the grace and wisdom that we need to navigate the complex needs and desires that have not been explicitly promised by him. Through that, and he will draw us near to him in fellowship and trust in him as we navigate the desire and needs with a loose hold on them while we pursue the kingdom which holds far greater value, an eternal hope and immense delight that the the world and all that is in it can not give.
Let us not be distracted by the worries and cares of this world lest we miss the opportunity to be part of the Lord’s eternal kingdom, and miss the eternal life and the joy of God’s fulfilled promised because we were found to be making a big deal of things that do not matter, having heard that there is more to life than them. May we be distinct people in this world, in that we hold a loose grip on the things of this world and have a firm grip in the word’s of God in particular the words about his son and his kingdom.
May the Lord make us faithful and wise stewards of his creation and may we use them to advance the Lord’s Kingdom and to delight in him more and to draw others to do the same. May we take the time to consider our hearts, their anxieties and for the Lord to recalibrate our hearts and give us new kingdom priorities and the eagerness to pursue them with great enthusiasm and passion for his kingdom.
