Today, I’m truly reminded of the brevity of life. On September 10, 2022, my best friend, Brad, was killed in a motorcycle collision (with a moose). As I read today how Jesus challenged us to consider the lilies, the grass of the field and the birds of the air, I began to see what I had never previously seen from the many times I have read or referenced these words.
“Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?”
Luke 12:27-28 NLT
“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 6:26 NIV
When Jesus refers to lilies and birds in Luke 12/Matt. 6, I have always felt reassured and comforted but today, I felt unsettled. My concentration in these verses has always been on the comforting truth that we need not worry because God values and cares for us even more than the birds or the lilies. However, as I pondered the next phrase about the flowers that are “here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow,” I realized its solemn truth about the brevity of life.
Continue this same truth about birds for a moment. Earlier this year, we were with our grandchildren in downtown Ottawa. Walking past a large glass building, we couldn’t help but notice several dead birds on the concrete walkway. Their lives had been cut short by having flown into the glass windows.
While reading today through a study called “Wisdom Over Wealth,” this statement was most sobering to me: “Jesus isn’t saying the birds are protected from all harm.” The fact is we pray for the Lord’s protection over our lives and Jesus clearly instructed us, “Do not worry about your life” (Matt. 6:25). We are not to live in fear but we are to live in this paradox.
We visited with Melinda this summer (Brad’s widow) and chatted about how often people speak of the Lord’s protection. I truly struggle in the conundrum of why God allowed Brad’s life on earth to end at such a young age. He was having such an impact for God’s kingdom. Jesus does provide a response as we live in this tension, even though it may not be the one we wish to hear:
“But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.
Matthew 10:29 NLT
The fact is we often face death or illness or circumstances in life that we simply cannot understand. Jesus, by His words, is inviting us into this tension: enjoying God’s provision while accepting life’s brevity.
Jesus was confirming that we are like the birds and the flowers – we are made of the same stuff, the dust of the earth. Please don’t miss the fulness of what Jesus was saying. We can be people who can trust the Lord for and live in His provision; but we are also called to trust Him when the sparrow falls to the ground – He knows and He sees.
The year 2022 was “Come Home Year” in Newfoundland – we bought a mug with that title as a souvenir. That mug is now a solemn reminder of Brad and the year he went Home.
I love this quote from the Faith & Finance Study: “We can live more freely once we get more comfortable with the inevitability and unpredictability of our own death.”
Lorne Robinson's Blog 