“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

~ Matthew 6:25-34, the words of Jesus

I don’t know about you, but this passage is hard for me to swallow. We have it from Jesus’ own lips that His Father will provide for us. Yet we talk, act, and feel like we don’t have enough.

How many times have I wasted money on clothes because I “need” a certain style? How many times have I spent an hour picking out the perfect outfit for an event? How many times have I been envious of the clothing someone else has?

This passage is such an attitude check for me. With a culture that is oversaturated with bloggers who always look flawless, so many Americans are not anxious about whether they will have clothes to wear (which was the anxiety to which Jesus was specifically referring), but are instead anxious about the types of clothes they are wearing. We are so overly concerned with how we look that we constantly compare ourselves to others. Even worse, we compare our Saturday morning frizzy hair and dark circles to a blogger’s full-hair-and-makeup, styled, professional photo!

Jesus, in his omniscient way, takes us back to what really matters when he asks us to “consider the lilies of the field.” He reminds us that our magnificent God has created a world that is perfect and beautiful. If he takes care of his creation (which has no reason or authority), will He not take care of His people (who are made in His holy image)?

God made us in His image. There is no dress, no hairstyle, and no concealer that can improve upon his design.

Yes, God blessed us with entertainment. He created some people to have a passion for clothes and external human beauty. And there is nothing wrong with that. But let’s always remember we are God’s creation first and fashionistas second. We clothe ourselves with Godly character first and with a cute outfit second. We worry about souls first and flesh second.

Our primary duty is to God. And He will always provide.