“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:25-26)

When Jesus exhorts us not to worry, He is challenging us to examine what has captured our attention. Who or what do you find yourself returning to each day? Is it your news feed?  Or what your socials want to dish up for you? Or is it a big glass of Living Water?

If our heads are down, staring at our “glowing rectangles” (credit to Andy Crouch), we can become trapped. Enraptured by content curated by … an algorithm. Algorithms that are intentionally designed to trap us. They are always hunting for more and more of our attention, time, and energy.  

Think of the “glowing rectangle” as a kind of dragon – the more you feed it, the larger and stronger it grows, and the deeper it sinks its claws into us. Suddenly (or gradually) we are no longer satisfied with what we have, where we are, or what we look like. Inevitably, worry and anxiety abound because we are living in a world of not enough.

But wait…Jesus has told us He has come to give us abundant life (John 10:10). 

He wants us to look to Him…not at our social media feeds. Look to Him… not at what your neighbor has that you don’t. Look to Him…and bring Him your fears and your worries. Your Heavenly Father knows what you need. Seek Him first. 

When we look up from our devices, our worries, our cravings, we see a world created by an all-knowing, all-powerful God. Who is in control of all things. Look at the flowers, smell them, touch them, take in their vast array of colors and shapes. We ought to look up at the birds, listen to their song and calls to one another…each unique and distinct. 

Solomon, in all of his splendor, riches, and material abundance, was not nearly as spectacular as the flowers that God so beautifully and uniquely adorns and the birds He sets in flight. Allow Him to capture your attention. 

It is not just “kids these days” that are captivated by the “glowing rectangles.” It’s adults too. Try this experiment: Take note today of how many times you pick up your phone (I think your phone can even tell you that) vs. how often you stop and look up at the Carolina Blue sky, or the lush green trees recently come back from their winter slumber, or listen to the birds greeting one another. Notice how you feel, the pace of your breathing afterwards. Praise the Lord for His careful attention to you and how He cares for you.