Jesus never preached an idealistic gospel. Ideals are lofty but unreachable goals. That’s what some people think this passage of Scripture is – lofty and unreachable. They hear about birds and lilies and think, “Isn’t that nice? But I live in the real world.” They should remember that Jesus lived in the real world, too.


When He spoke these words, He was standing in a field using the things around Him as object lessons. He knew that birds struggle to raise their young and that those beautiful lilies eventually wither, are torn up and burned. He was not saying that nature should be viewed idealistically. He was pointing out that of all creation, we are the only ones who worry. And for all the worrying we do, we accomplish nothing.


Worry happens in the present moment as we struggle through life’s burdens, and the only way to beat worry is by trusting Jesus through each of those moments. It’s impossible to worry when our heartaches and problems are in the hands of the
One who created it all and sees us through.