Consider the Lilies

This year, my discipleship group and I journeyed through the Gospel of Matthew - my favorite book in the New Testament. There’s such richness in the account, as Matthew presents Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah, the fulfillment of promise, and the visible image of the invisible God.

We’ve moved on to study other books, but the Lord keeps bringing me back to these words, again and again.

“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow…” Matthew 6:28

Lately, I’ve had to do a lot of that, to consider both the lilies and the promises of Jesus.

This week, I submitted my resignation to the job I love deeply. The job I planned to retire from. For years, I’ve confessed that I trust God as my provider, and it’s true . But I also went to work every day, earning a paycheck, contributing to my household, and even if I never said it outright, I was quietly living like I was partnering with God in that provision.

Now, that sense of partnership is gone, and things feel… very real.

Faith in God’s provision has moved from the abstract to the concrete. The kind of faith that shows up not just in belief, but in the absence of a backup plan.

As I consider the lilies, I’m struck not only by how faithfully and beautifully God provides, but also by how gently (and sometimes uncomfortably) He invites us to unlearn the lies we’ve been living. Lies that abound in “hustle” culture, that tell you your identity is in your work and your value is intricately tied to your tax bracket. Lies that sound like wisdom in a first-world economy but crumble under the weight of kingdom truth.

God’s ways are not our ways. His economy doesn’t run on salaries, status, or self-reliance. It runs on trust, obedience, and grace. As we prepare to step into full-time missions, I’m learning that trusting Him means also trusting His people. Trusting that He will stir hearts to partner with Him in the work He’s doing, not just in Guatemala, but in me.

It’s not just counter-cultural. It’s counter everything I thought I knew. And it’s also, somehow, incredibly peaceful.

As Corrie Ten Boom writes, “Every experience God gives us… is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see.” So this season of resignation isn’t just an end, it’s a carefully ordered beginning.

As we prepare, and as we go, our greatest need is partners who will pray with us and provide financial support for the work that God is doing in Guatemala. If you are interested in being a co-laborer as we carry out the Great Commission, please visit our giving page.