This is the dwarf sunflower we planted just before Wai Jia flew to Africa. I am such a garden newbie that I have no idea if it was weed or a sunflower when it was growing.
Earlier this week, our neighbour told us that it bloomed.
When I saw this flower, the first thing that dawned on me was what Jesus preached in Matthew 6. In Matthew 6:28, Jesus told His disciples to observe the flowers in the field and how they don’t toil or spin. Yet, they are more beautiful than Solomon in all his splendour.
Toil and spin. I don’t know about you. But in this age or any age for the matter, it is so easy to toil and spin.
A few days ago, a friend told me he had a dad bod and had to deal with it. Dad bod is a slang of the pear shape middle-aged man will transform to when they edge towards 40.
Now the conversation can naturally go along the line on what you can do to lose that dad bod with a crazy diet, fasting, exercise to achieve that six-pack, negative 5% body fat, big biceps…
Instead, I challenged him as to why he wanted to get rid of the dad bod. If this is a health reason, high blood pressure, diabetes, I get it. Go ahead. But there are many reasons we want to get fit, and being healthy is not one of them.
I told him the solution was not hard. Just spend hours exercising. The problem, for me, is this what it means to seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness (Matt 6:33)?
I struggle with this as well. It is not unusual for me to compare myself back to the days when I ran sub-5 min/k for 30 km easily.
If I want to, I can get back to that. But what is the cost, and what is the point? So that I can feel better about myself?
In the whole grand scheme of things, in light of eternity, getting rid of the dad bod is probably not such a big issue.
I can toil and spin myself to get back in shape, but it is a waste of time.
I believe many of us know what it means to work hard. Why don’t we invest in something worthwhile if that is the case?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:28-34 (NIV)
