Choosing to Trust

[Jesus said,] “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear.” – Matthew 6:25 (NRSV) 

In my experience, telling someone not to worry is about as effective as telling them to calm down, which is to say: not at all. And telling someone everything will be just fine is about as true as telling them everything happens for a reason, which is to say: not at all. 

But in telling us not to worry, Jesus doesn’t say there’s nothing to worry about. Instead, he acknowledges that things are a hot mess; it’s all we can do to take one day’s troubles at a time.  

So how do we deal with the brokenness and cruelty of this world and the uncertainty of the future, all while working for something better?  

Jesus says we should trust God. 

Unfortunately, telling someone to trust is about as effective as telling them to calm down. So Jesus proposes what’s known these days as a spiritual practice: Look at the birds of the air, he says. Consider the lilies of the field. 

Poets call that paying attention. Therapists call it re-direction. Mystics call it contemplation. The psalmist calls it meditating on God’s wondrous works. Neuroscientists call it rewiring our brains away from the bad and toward the good.  

Whatever we call it, trust seems to involve choice—choosing where and how to direct our love, time, and attention. Choosing to believe that, despite all the evidence, God’s grace and goodness are yet at work in the world.

Prayer
Day by day, may we open ourselves to being gobsmacked by your goodness. Day by day, may we delight in all we’ve been given. Day by day, may our love for you and our neighbors guide us into peace and joy.

About the Author
Vicki Kemper is the Pastor of First Congregational, UCC, in Amherst, Massachusetts, and a spiritual director.