Consider how the lilies grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these.
Luke 12:27
Depending on our Father
Your Heavenly Father wants to take care of you.
In a world that promotes self-sufficiency and praises stoicism, we find difficulty in depending on someone. We feel that if we become vulnerable, depend on a loved one, and allow ourselves to be taken care of, we’ll appear weak and incapable of standing on our own two feet. God doesn’t want us to act strong or independent with Him. Not only does He want us to depend on Him, but He delights in it. He loves his children so perfectly and He’s ready to take care of us and fulfill our needs.
All we need to do is ask.
I absolutely love Luke 12:22-34. This passage beautifully reminds us to let go of our worries and anxieties. It gently encourages us to depend on God and trust that he will take care of us. I quoted my favorite verse of it at the beginning of this post, but I urge you to read the whole thing. If you’re like me and you struggle to depend on God and let him provide, you’ll find so much peace by reading this passage.
Daily Bread
Tomorrow I begin my last semester of college. Although I’m excited for it, I’m genuinely nervous because this semester holds a lot of uncertainty. Now, I have to find my own way. I have to determine the next steps that I’ll take after I graduate and begin to navigate God’s plan for my life. Not only is this scary because I still don’t have a clue about what it could be, but it’s disheartening and frustrating.
I see my friends’ lives unfolding while my own life seems empty. As much as I’ve been praying for guidance and applying for jobs, I feel like I’m running in circles trying to find an answer that isn’t there. During this time of frustration and despair, I constantly remind myself to allow God to take care of me. I’m trying so hard to depend on Him and allow Him to provide for me. I know He has a plan for me but I’m just anxious to know what it is so I don’t have to worry about the future. Regardless, God doesn’t want us to worry about the future. When we rely on Him, he fulfills our needs for the here and now, and this is sufficient. It’s “give us this day our daily bread,” not “give us all the bread we’ll need for the rest of our lives right now.”
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Surrendering it all to God
I’ve never really had a “word of the year” until this year. On January 1st, while I was at SLS 20, the word “surrender” entered my heart, and I allowed myself to meditate on it. I adopted it as my word of the year, allowing it to remind me to surrender all that I am and all that I have to God at all times.
It’s easy to surrender bits and pieces of our lives to God, but that isn’t enough. He wants all of it. He wants to take care of us completely in all things. Little children cannot do anything on their own, so they rely totally on their parents. This is the relationship that God desires with us and the one that we should strive for. What’s the hardest part of your life to surrender? It could be your classes or work, a hobby, a habit, a friendship, a relationship, or in my case, my search for my next step after graduation. Whatever it is, allow God to enter into it. Allow God to take care of it and unfold His beautiful plan for it according to His perfect timing. Will you join me in surrendering to our Heavenly Father who is waiting for us to allow Him to take care of us as His most precious children?
Come, Holy Spirit.
Dear Heavenly Father, I surrender all that I am and all that I have at this moment to You. I come to You as Your precious child who can only depend on You. Help me to not worry about anything and to entrust You with all things, even my very life. When I get caught up in earthy matters, gently lift my gaze to You. Remind me to strive for Your eternal kingdom instead of material things that will fade away. I ask this in Jesus Christ’s Holy Name.
Amen.
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Great reminder that ever day and every moment, we need to constantly surrender to God and trust in His will. It is so much better than our own desires for ourselves!
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So true!
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I’ve been keeping a word of the year since 2019–I learned about it at the same time someone told me about picking a “saint of the year”. It’s an excellent way to focus. Tangentially related to your epigraph, look up the painting “La Vierge au Lys” by Bouguereau–it’s become one of my favorites.
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I’ve never heard of having a Saint of the year! I think I’ll try that! And yes, I’ll be sure to look up that painting 🙂
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