Money, Peaks and Valleys

Moving on to Luke12:22, Jesus turned to the apostles and again spoke of worldly possessions. He told them, and us, not to worry about what to wear each and what to eat, for life consists of far more than food and clothing. He then pointed out that if we used the birds of the air as an example, none of them are wanting for food or water, as their Creator cares for them without their asking for anything. Jesus tells us further that He is certain that the Father loves us more than the birds, so why not let Him take care of us? In verses 25 and 26 of this same chapter, Jesus asks the question, “does all of your worrying add a single moment to your life?” and then “if it does no good to worry over the little things, then why worry about the big things?

Wow, could it be that simple? This is where non believers and enemies of God attack our faith by pointing out that Christians are mindless dunderheads that are told to sit around and do nothing, living on faith and not being practical in regards to life. I am sure that many religious organizations and groups have built their faction of religious faith quite literally on these words of Jesus Christ.

Whenever I bridge this part of Luke in conversation with someone, I use the example of my dogs. We have three dogs, Sam, Handsome and Cinderella. The great thing about these dogs is that they do not worry if their will be food in their bowl at night, they expect it to be there. None of them worry about whether the mortgage is going to be paid on time, they expect that their favorite sleeping spot will be there, no matter what. When any of the family comes home at the end of the day, they are greeted with respect, humbleness (except Cinderella) and submission. They are always happy to see us, giving us total affection and are never in a bad mood. It is for this reason that I believe that God created my dogs so that He could give me a living example on how I could live up to this part of scripture. When I really think about it, why didn’t God just create dogs instead of putting up with my groaning and complaining? If I approached God like my dogs approach me, God would certainly be pleased with me.

In 1st Timothy 5:8, God tells us that if we do not work and provide for our family that we are worse than a person who does not believe in God at all. So, how do we balance between trusting God and not worrying and incurring God’s wrath for being lazy? The simple answer is to do, whatever you do to make a living, for God and His kingdom and ask Him to show you how to do what needs to be done.

Life is made up of peaks and valleys. When you are at the peak, enjoy the view, remember it and praise God for it. When you are in the valley, go through it, don’t camp there. And above all, work on being more like your dog.