Day 2: Matthew 4-6

Matthew 4-6

This section covers a LOT of ground. I feel like there are so many gems in here, I don’t even know what to think about first. I will just mention one passage that I have been thinking about.

What I really reflected on in this section was 6:25-34. This is where Jesus calls us to not be anxious, and trust that the Lord will provide for us. I know these are verses we hear a lot, and it’s always comforting to see that the Lord knows and anticipates our every need. I love the illustration of Him providing life to His creation—and knowing we are part of His creation and worth SO much more value in His eyes than the lilies of the field. I think for most of my life, when I read this section I thought, “Well this is nice, just don’t be anxious.” It’s a great message, but I really didn’t know how to live that out, and I had no idea what casting my anxieties on the Lord actually looked like. It is so much easier said than done!! Then it hit me that the solution Jesus gives for anxiousness is to “seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (6:33). 

I think oftentimes when I am anxious, I feel like my solution is to rest or take a break. Even today, I am just exhausted from work and class. I feel like I have had no time to just sit and be, let alone do my homework. I am anxious about getting things done on time, anxious about keeping up relationships, anxious about where God will call me to school next year, anxious about life in general! In the back of my mind, my solution is to take a day to sleep in and just catch up on life, to spend some time not running around. But, this is not the solution Jesus outlines. It doesn’t say “seek first the kingdom of God when you are good and rested.” He just calls us to seek Him first. My approach to anxiety is so worldly. And don’t get me wrong, I recognize that we all need rest, and time to breathe, but I think too often what gets me through the week is relying on the fact that I will have a day off at the end of it.  I need to seek the Lord in the midst of my busy life (which I’m sure is not as busy as most people), instead of waiting until I have a moment to catch my breath. This week I am challenged to seek Him moment by moment, and He will provide for me.

(Also, side note: my name is Jenski on this blogging site...it's a nickname from roommates in college, and we had a blog last year. This is evidently the same site we used for our blog! Haha, I can't figure out how to change it, so just roll with it:))