Daily Gospel Reflection for March 2, 2014

Today's Gospel: Matthew 6:24-34

"Do not worry," Jesus says in today's Gospel. Easy to say, but harder to do.

Worry seems to plague so many of the people I love. I joke with them and maybe even harass them about it.

And yet I'm not any better, not really. Maybe I don't articulate my worry, but do I act with complete trust in God? Do I give to him first, with confidence that since he's provided it to me, he'll keep taking care of me?

The picture of God clothing the wild flowers in the field and feeding the birds in the air is so tangible for me. Here we are, hoping for the end of one of the worst winters in modern memory, and we have the hope of spring appearing even in the gospels!

Hope: that's the answer to worry. "Seek first the kingdom of God," Jesus reminds us. When you do that, you can't help but see the hope. It's in the birds in the air and the flowers in the field, covered with snow though they may be.

Ponder:

What can I do today as an act of trust toward God? How can I live the hope he gives me today?

Pray:

Lord, it's hard to have hope in the face of the challenges I face. I feel overwhelmed so often, and I need your help. Walk beside me and help me to have the grace to see the ways that trusting you will inject hope into my day. Amen.

Copyright 2014 Sarah Reinhard