Abundant GraceSample

TODAY IS NOT YOUR BURDEN TO MANAGE

Have you ever sat outside on a sunny winter day, adrift between the icy breeze and the pleasantly warm sun? For me, that’s about as good as it gets. Just look at those birds up in those trees . . . oops, got distracted there for a minute. Let’s get this thought train back on track.

When you woke up today, where did your thoughts go first? Maybe your mind went immediately to God’s goodness and new mercies. Perhaps, if you’re more like me, you floated through a sea of random wanderings (cue the birds). Or maybe your thoughts were quickly captivated by the running list of worries, responsibilities, and tasks that are already filling up today’s plate.

If any of these describes you, take heart. God knew exactly how our minds would work, which is why—in His grace—He gave us encouraging passages like Matthew 6.

In this chapter, which is part of the larger Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explains how birds depend on God’s provision instead of worrying their feathers off about where their next meal or shelter is going to come from. On and on they fly, exactly as they were intended to do. After all, as Jesus asks, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:27)

With this example, Jesus draws a parallel to our own lives and how we should live them: not in worry, but with trust in Him and in His grace. Instead of filling our time with fret or feverish hurry, Jesus invites us to live in constant worship. From the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep, no matter the circumstances, we can abide in Him. We can get lost in the beauty of who He has made us to be. We are His own, and He has made us to know His goodness.

Wherever your mind drifts today, remember this: Today is not your burden to manage. Instead of choosing worry, choose instead to hum a song of praise, to reflect in thankfulness while sipping a cup of coffee, and to enjoy that sunshine for just a few minutes longer.

Read Matthew 6:25-34. How does this passage resonate with you? How is worry or control holding you back from experiencing God’s grace today?