Lemme Tell You ’bout the
birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees.
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| Photo by Tony Perryman |
Consider the Lillies
I was reminded the other day about what one of my friends used to say. He said that “we spend more time considering what Christ said about the lillies than actually considering the lillies.” We treat his words like they were Cliff’s Notes to a test rather than an invitation to a relationship.
Consider the Lillies
Jesus wasn’t trying to give us some secret answer to a question. He was giving us the plain, overt answer to the question of life, the universe, and everything- which is not actually 42 as some would suppose.
Consider the Lillies
“What is that answer?” you say.
The answer is a relationship with God. That relationship is eternal life. That relationship is the answer. That relationship is the meaning to life, the universe, and everything.
“Cool,” you say. “But how can it be found in considering the lillies?”
Now that’s an interesting question. A relationship is forged in a couple of ways – one is to learn about the other person in the relationship. Because all of the invisible attributes of God, his creativity, his matchless power, his divine glory, can be clearly seen in all of creation, to consider one part of that creation will, by its very nature, also teach you about God.
But there’s more. This relationship is real. God’s word is alive in the way that all of creation is alive – and more. God’s Holy Spirit can speak clearly to you while you consider His creation. And that’s where the other part of developing a relationship comes in: we develop a relationship with someone when we share our lives with that person.
Consider the Lillies
Jesus wasn’t just trying to tell us about the lives of the lillies. He wasn’t just showing us how we are part of God’s creation and are cared for by God. He was giving us an invitation to a relationship. He wasn’t giving us a spiritual TV dinner. He was giving us an appetizer to a tasty meal of relational intimacy with God.
I could share some of the things that I’ve learned about God. Some of the things that I’ve shared with God and he has shared with me. But that would circumvent the point.
Consider the Lillies
And when you’re done, consider the ravens. And the ants. And the stars. And as you do, consider the God who made all of it. And when all of creation is exhausted by your consideration, consider the God that made all of it. Who loves you. A lot.
