“Do not fear what may happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you then and every day. He will either shield you from suffering, or give you unfailing strength to bear it” (St. Francis de Sales).

Editor’s note: Read more about our Lent 2024 theme, “‘Not My Will, but Yours’: Surrendering to the Father During Lent,” here.

The Parable of the Lilies of the Field

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat [or drink], or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

“Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?

“Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin.But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them.

“If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?

“So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear? All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

“But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.

“Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil” (Matthew 6:25-34).

This lesson on trust comes on the heels of Jesus’ teaching about fasting and prayer. The timing is intentional; surrender to God can only come from a faith rooted in prayer and fasting.

Into the Desert

We are in the season of Lent, which has three components: fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. It is a time to go into the desert with Jesus. Lent is more than giving up chocolate; it’s about converting our hearts, drawing closer to God, and surrendering our will to Him.

It’s challenging to do at Lent—or any other time. 

I have realized that my surrender to God is conditional. I can easily surrender to Him things I deem outside my control, like the healing of a sickness or someone else’s prayer requests. Then, I can pray with my whole heart, “Lord, your will be done,” because those circumstances are not mine to change or influence.

Now, here’s the tricky part. We are called to surrender the everyday things to God as well. They are harder for me to submit to God, because I believe, deep down, that I can take care of them on my own. Why bother God with these insignificant things?

The relationship we’re trying to salvage, the job situation that’s going sidewise, the struggle we are having with food or gambling or pornography … the circumstances that we are, with every fiber of our being, trying to hold together, change, or make magically disappear.

We plead to God for his intercession while holding onto whatever it is with both hands. We won’t let go. We simply don’t trust God enough.

In the parable of the lilies of the valley, Jesus tells us to look around at how His creation is cared for. Are we not His creation? Does He care less for us than for birds and animals? Of course not. But He gave us that tricky free will, which means that every day, we make the choice to rely either on God or on ourselves.

The Unsustainability of Self-Reliance

A few years ago, I was struggling with my job and other situations, and it was affecting my physical and mental health.

I am a strong, independent, educated, and resourced woman. I can organize an event for 200 people. I can manage household schedules, cook meals, attend graduate school, and serve on our parish council. I can juggle, handle, and script it so no balls are dropped. If one does escape my clutches, I can fix it. I can pivot and figure it out.

Until I can’t.

The constant pressure and juggling are not sustainable. Control is the last thing that I have.

I was at church on Good Friday. The service was over, but there was a scattering of us still praying in the church. I was in deep prayer, and I visualized Mary at the foot of the cross.

I sat there with her for a long while, and it became clear that I should lay all of my problems next to her. I physically felt the weight lifted when I admitted that they were not mine to solve. That day, I learned to unite my sufferings, inadequacies, fears, and sorrow with Jesus’ suffering.

It’s a cliche that hindsight is 20/20, but it is true that when I look back on my life, on great or terrible times, I can see that there was another force at work. God was leading me. You can always see it clearly in the rearview mirror when you look for God’s timing and plan.

The Leap of Faith

If only we had a forward view, right? It’s so much easier to trust when we can see the outcome. But that’s missing the point. It’s when we can’t see the next step that it’s most important to trust God’s plan and timing.

I love the Indiana Jones movies (except Temple of Doom!), and The Last Crusade is my favorite. In this movie, Indiana seeks to find the chalice Jesus used at the Last Supper, and he must pass three challenges to find it. For one challenge, he has to cross from one side of a deep chasm to the other—and it’s far. He is unsure of what to do. Then, he picks up a handful of sand and tosses it in front of him, and he sees a path that will take him safely across. He makes it to the other side one slow step at a time. This challenge is called the Leap of Faith.

During this season of sacrifice, let us give God the trust we’ve been withholding. Let us walk bravely forward, knowing he’s guiding our every step.

Let’s take a leap of faith. He is ready with open arms to catch us.