Emily Dickinson once said that "consider the lilies is the only Commandment I have ever obeyed." I've always liked that quote for a number of reasons, especially because I'm always trying to "notice" and "consider" things myself. What's not to like about considering lilies (check out Luke 12:22-31)?
As I was reading those verses this morning, though, a part of the passage jumped out at me: "Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them." This comes before the lilies part.
Consider the ravens? I have totally missed that in the past. The only time when I even think about ravens is when I hear about Edgar Allan Poe (which isn't often) or think about the NFL variety (Baltimore's team is named the Ravens). So I decided to do what Jesus said.
Have you ever considered a raven? I hadn't. I knew they looked a little like crows, but when I started looking up images, I must confess, I wasn't exactly impressed. It's certainly not a colorful bird and its beak looks a little big for its face. But I still like this commandment that Jesus gives because the world is not all lilies. We are called to consider all of God's creation and recognize that God can be active and moving in all parts of it. Even the nondescript creatures. I'm not sure if this is what Jesus meant when he said this, but I'd like to think he would be intrigued with where I went with it.
1 comment:
Wow...love this. I, as well, had never even thought about the Ravens...I've actually always loved Ravens and Crows..probably because of their somewhat menacing appearance and of course the Poe ref..but your spin on Ravens vs. Liliies..is inspiring. NO eye has seen comes to mind when considering the glory and manifestation of God in all that we encounter..in all that surrounds us. Thanks for considering Christian and for sharing your new found perspective. Nice.
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