Day 27—Friday, March 20

Luke 12:32-34

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Do not be afraid. If only it were that easy… As a generally anxious, Type-A person, I struggle a lot with overthinking and overanalyzing. I like to be in control, I’m very organized, and I don’t always welcome change. This year has been a challenge as I have felt increasingly helpless watching the world change around me. I’ve been very afraid. There are so very many things to worry about right now, so many scary things to focus on.

And yet, in this passage, Jesus speaks directly to us. When I initially read these verses, I thought first of the directive to let go of stress about money. That’s certainly where Jesus begins here, but I think he’s asking us to let go of more than just financial worry. God has given us so many gifts beyond our financial ones. The verses got me thinking a lot about what and where my treasure is. I’ll admit that I haven’t always been prioritizing God in the midst of my growing anxiety this year.

Jesus asks us to recenter ourselves. What would it look like to prioritize God in this season? To build a “treasure in heaven that will never fail?” I think that looks like love and support for our neighbors and creation. I am committed to looking for Jesus’s love and serving in the world around me, even in the midst of anxiety. With Jesus as our treasure, imagine what we can accomplish.

Lord, guide our focus away from fear and anxiety and towards you. Help us see that you are our treasure, so our hearts can be refocused on your desires for us and our world. Amen.

-Katelyn Burton