As promised : more thoughts on that passage in Matthew.

Matthew 6:25-34

That is why I am telling you not to worry about your life and what you are to eat, nor about your body and what you are to wear. Surely life is more than food, and the body more than clothing! ²⁶ Look at the birds in the sky. They do not sow or reap or gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they are? ²⁷ Can any of you, however much you worry, add one single cubit to your span of life? ²⁸ And why worry about clothing? Think of the flowers growing in the fields; they never have to work or spin; ²⁹ yet I assure you that not even Solomon in all his royal robes was clothed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if that is how God clothes the wild flowers growing in the field which are there today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, will he not much more look after you, you who have so little faith? ³¹ So do not worry; do not say, "What are we to eat? What are we to drink? What are we to wear?" ³² It is the gentiles who set their hearts on all these things. Your heavenly Father knows you need them all. ³³ Set your hearts on his kingdom first, and on God's saving justice, and all these other things will be given you as well. ³⁴ So do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.'


The words that stand out to me in this passage are "you who have so little faith." Even though we have little faith God will still provide for us. The providence of God is not dependent on the amount of faith we have or the actions that we do in the name of God. If we simply focus on living and loving the world around us then we will have the food, drink and clothing that we need. I am most struck here by the clothing that will be provided for us. In my preparations for Geneva I have been very concerned about my clothing. I have lived all my life in places where "Winter" was a few days in January where you might need a nice coat or sweatshirt. I can count on one hand the number of times I have seen snow. Therefore clothing has been on my mind a lot as I am preparing to move to Geneva in the middle of winter. Yet in this passage Jesus is telling us that we do not need to worry about what we will wear. I hear that, but in my mind I start thinking: "yeah, but Jesus lived in the ancient Palestine - did it really get COLD there? What does Jesus know about cold weather? They didn't need clothes like I need clothes (and boots) to protect from freezing temperatures." Those thoughts almost let me rationalize not believing the words that I read in the book of Matthew. However, I have to remember that these words are True. In going to Geneva I am trying to set my heart on the Kingdom and on God's saving justice. Therefore God will provide clothing for me. My thoughts of doubt and rationalization are simply my lack of faith. I am the one that Jesus is talking to when he says, "Will God not much more look after you, you who have so little faith." In my little faith, hopefully I will learn to have more. I still wonder HOW God will provide for me, but I am trying not to wonder IF God will provide for me.