Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "Growing" for Saturday, 23 August 2014 - Read Matthew 6:25-34

Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "Growing" for Saturday, 23 August 2014 - Read Matthew 6:25-26 “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.
27-29 “Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
30-33 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
34 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
Happy are those who trust in the Lord. . . . They will be like trees planted by the streams, whose roots reach down to the water.(Jeremiah 17:7-8 (CEB))
Twenty-five years ago I was transferred to a group home some distance from my family and friends. I had suffered from alcohol dependence and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. I greatly needed the assistance of mental health professionals.
Each year, my mother takes me to visit my relatives. On those occasions, I have grown to admire a lovely painting in my aunt’s home. It depicts a wide variety of colorful flowers. The painting has drawn me to another understanding of my life by encouraging me to grow and develop wherever God has placed me, as these magnificent blossoms have grown where they were planted. Jesus reminds us that the wild lilies of the field are not anxious about their role in life; they radiate with God’s purpose by being themselves.
I find satisfaction and great joy in the place where God has planted me. I have not consumed alcohol in over 13 years. I have developed loving relationships in the church I attend. After several changes in treatment, my medication therapy has brought about successful results. I want to be like one of the flowers in my aunt’s painting, planted in this lovely family of mental health residents.
The Author: Howard David Glawson (North Carolina, USA)
Thought for the Day: We can thrive where God has planted us.
Prayer: Dear God, help us to find peace where we are, even in the midst of trauma. Give us the power and grace to overcome mental illness and all obstacles to abundant life. Amen.
Prayer focus: Mental health patients
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