Stressing and Obsessing

People today are dying for cool selfies, and it’s becoming a problem. We’re continually seeing articles about another person who fell to his or her death getting that last great shot. Or others will Photoshop themselves because they want to look a certain way.

We’ll think so much about how we look, but Jesus said we aren’t to be obsessed with these things. In the Sermon on the Mount He said, “Look at the lilies of the field 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” (Matthew 6:28–29 NLT).

Jesus was not saying that we shouldn’t think about these things. He’s saying that we shouldn’t get stressed about it. In other words, “Why do you stress so much about the way you look? Why do you get so concerned about your wardrobe?”

A few verses earlier, He used another illustration: birds. In verse 26 Jesus said, “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?” (NLT). The birds gather their food every day. They do their due diligence. But have you ever seen a stressed-out bird?

We have a heavenly Father who promises to take care of us. And if He takes care of little birds, then will He not take care of us as well?

However, we also can go too far the other way. Some people need to give a little more thought to their appearance. Jesus is not saying that we shouldn’t think about the way we look. Rather, He is telling us not to be obsessed with these things—especially at the expense of spiritual things.