Ever since I was growing up, I wished to be tall like my Grandpa Nick. All my friends were taller than me from elementary to high school, and I wanted so hard that I would have one more growth spurt before I hit my twenties.
But did you know that sitting up worrying about your height all night won’t make you grow? I could sit there for hours worrying hard about growing a few more inches, but all I’d be doing was wasting time.
Not only won’t worry add any growth in my physical stature, but it also can’t add growth in any area of life. Look at the words of Jesus in the Book of Matthew,
Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin (Matthew 6:27-28).
I find it interesting the way Jesus presented how growth works. Suppose you’ve ever been to a business seminar or a church conference. In that case, you’ll know that the main takeaway message is “How To Grow Your Organization,” which is usually followed by a “foolproof” 10-step process that guarantees growth.
Then you take those strategies back home with you and start implementing them in your organization, and to your dismay, no growth happens. It can be frustrating when that happens because you saw it work in someone else’s organization but not yours. So then you start to worry even more about growth because this plan that was a sure thing didn’t end up working, so you ask yourself, what will work?
When we think of growth, we think of things we must do. But look at what Jesus said about growth. He said, “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow.” Jesus got up on that stage with His PowerPoint slide, threw up a picture of lilies, and said, “If you want your organization to grow, look at this picture of these lilies and copy them.”
How do the lilies grow? What is their business plan? Is it a 45-day, 45-point, one-point-per-day plan? Jesus said, “Look at how the lilies grow; they neither toil nor spin.”
He was saying that the lilies of the field grow by what they don’t do.
I looked up the definition of toil, “To labor continuously; work strenuously. Exhausting labor or effort.” Other dictionaries use the words “worrisome labor.”
It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep (Psalm 127:2).
If you’re up all night worrying about something in your life, you are wasting precious moments of sleep. My wife and I enjoy our sleep. Many scriptures are about God giving “sweet sleep” to His children. I understand how God feels about us resting because I love seeing my 6-month-old sleep well. When he’s up all day and hardly takes a nap, it takes a toll on him, and the moment he finally drifts off and falls asleep on my chest is what I live for!
Sometimes, people say that God is trying to get your attention when you can't sleep. I don’t entirely agree with that statement. I believe when God is trying to get your attention in the middle of the night, that’s the exception to the rule. God wants you to sleep well and have good rest. If you’re constantly waking up or not sleeping and are deprived, that’s not God. That’s worry.
He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing…” (Luke 5:4-5).
This is a perfect picture of what toiling looks like. Hard, worrisome labor that gives you no results. I once heard someone say that being busy does not equal being productive. One thing that I used to hate working at my last job was meetings. We had meetings so much. Most of the time, meetings are a great example of time theft in the office! When I hear that someone has been in a meeting all day long and nothing else got done, that was an unproductive day.
A few days ago, I saw a funny video on social media about a construction worker giving other workers “tips” on how to look busy. It was hilarious because what he did in the video was true! I’ll try to link it below.
But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (Luke 5:5-8).
Doing what Jesus tells you to do is never worrisome. Jesus didn’t say that the lilies didn’t do anything; He just said they didn’t toil. All of the fish Peter caught that day wasn’t easy to get inside the boat. The boat was sinking, and the nets were breaking. It was a lot of fish, but they still had to work to get it in the boat. The difference is that Grace provided the fish, and faith put them in the boat.
But even with that being hard work to catch the fish, I doubt that those fishermen went home that evening to their wives and said, “Man, I hate my job.”
I labored more abundantly than they all (1 Corinthians 15:10).
If anyone knows what it’s like to labor or toil, it is Paul. That man was busy. You could usually find him going from city to city preaching the gospel, and if you couldn’t find him there, it was because he was on some boat somewhere. If he wasn’t on a ship, it was because the boat crashed, and he was floating in the ocean, and if he wasn’t swimming in the sea, it was because he was stranded on some island being bit by a poisonous snake. The man labored, and this scripture alone could ruin my entire point. But keep reading it.
I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the Grace of God which was with me (1 Corinthians 15:10).
“Yet not I.” Those three words change the entire message. It’s the Grace of God that works, not us. There are many ways to get rich, but only one doesn’t add any sorrow to it. There are a lot of ways to get healed. Just turn on your TV, and within three commercials, you’ll see some pill being pushed to “heal” you. You could die from it, but it’ll take care of your problem momentarily! But only one way adds no sorrow. There are many ways to grow in your life, but only one way adds no sorrow.
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21 I do not frustrate the Grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. (Galatians 2:20-21).
There are those famous words again, “Yet not I.” Isn’t it frustrating watching someone do something you’re good at? Imagine being a master builder, and here comes your not-so-tough brother-in-law trying to put together a tool shed in the backyard. As a professional, you have built hundreds of these in your career, but this is his first go.
He’s out there not knowing what screw goes where and not knowing how a hammer works, and you’re inside the house watching through the window pulling your hair out. At some point, you have to go outside and say, “Just let me do it!” Am I speaking to anyone right now? It’s frustrating watching someone do something that you’re good at.
What am I getting at? Well, Grace is a professional caretaker. Grace takes care of you, but she also takes care from you. Read that again.
…casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).
The Bible says that Grace and truth came through Jesus. Without Jesus, there is no grace for us to do what we are called to do. Jesus cares for you, but He also cares for you. Do you understand that? Not only does Jesus care for you as a person and friend, but He does the caring for you. When you cast your care on Him, He will care about whatever you gave Him.
Only pride will keep the care on you. He gives Grace to the humble, and the humble cast their care on Him. The humble trust that the care will be in better hands if you give it to Jesus than if you were to keep it for yourself. You aren’t a good caretaker. He’s the professional, so don’t frustrate Him by doing something you’re not good at! To stop worrying and grow, we must rely on God's grace and let go of stress that hinders our development.
Grace goes to work when you begin to rest.
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Live in the victory.
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