Anxious, racing thoughts can stem from many sources, whether it’s current events nationally or globally, work-related stress, concerns about our families, ongoing health problems, personal relationships or a financial crisis.
Will I make it through this time? What if … ? Who is truly reliable?
I often wake up at 3 a.m. and find myself mentally juggling tasks, replaying conversations, and trying to solve the various challenges my family, career, or business faces.
Please tell me I’m not the only one yearning for rest and peace.
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To some degree, the fight against anxious thoughts is a constant struggle. However, as a follower of Jesus, I believe there’s a way to live that allows us to let go of the weight of anxiety.
Jesus says in Luke 12:25-27:
“Which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? Consider how the wildflowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.”
The invitation to “consider the wildflowers” always gets my attention. Perhaps it’s because I live in southwestern Colorado, where the wildflowers are incredibly beautiful every summer.
I’ve spent a lot of time walking through fields of flowers, praying, and reflecting on this invitation. I was inspired to write my new devotional, “The Way of the Wildflower,” while surrounded by God’s creation, realizing that if God cares for the wildflowers, how much more will he care for me?
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Here are five specific “ways of the wildflower” that I believe can help us live freely, even when circumstances tempt us to struggle and worry.
1. Wildflowers are dependent. They rely on God’s timing, the rain He provides, the seasons He has set, and the environment He has placed them in. They don’t have gardeners, fertilizers, or a regular watering schedule, yet they flourish. When we embrace this way of the wildflower — not demanding a certain storyline, season, or more perfect situation — we stop striving and depend completely on the God who made us.
2. Wildflowers are free. Free from stress, fear, worry, and self-care. They don’t worry about upcoming storms, carry yesterday’s burdens, or anxiously work their days away. They exist where God put them, adorned with the glory He gave them. When we embrace this way of the wildflower, we can understand what it means to be unburdened by things we shouldn’t worry about or carry.
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3. Wildflowers are resilient. They’re found in various unexpected places, from dry fields to dusty roadsides and rocky cliffs on mountain peaks where there’s barely any soil. They seem to thrive in conditions we’d consider unsuitable for growth.
When we who are in Christ embrace this way of the wildflower, we don’t rely on our own strength or determination. Our resilience is a gift from God, who sustains us, enabling us and providing what we need to endure.
4. Wildflowers are unhurried. When wildflowers aren’t actively growing, they’re dormant, meaning there might not be visible growth — but dormancy isn’t death; it’s rest. It reminds us that wildflowers are never in a rush to reach the next season or their best bloom.
When we embrace this way of the wildflower, we slow down, refusing to hurry the process or resent the slow, quiet, or seemingly unproductive times in our lives, and instead rest in God’s perfect timing.
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5. Wildflowers are beloved. I’m always amazed that God creates, designs, and gives extraordinary detail and beauty to individual wildflowers for His pleasure, whether they’ve been discovered, identified, or named.
No two wildflowers are the same — each has its own unique complexities, details, and characteristics. When we see how carefully God created wildflowers, we can’t help but realize how truly loved they are.
When we embrace this way of the wildflower, we remember that God knows and cares for us uniquely — we are precious and valued, even when we feel insignificant or hidden.
In a world that encourages us to be independent, live within “acceptable” boundaries, move on when we face resistance, skip to the good part, and question our worth, living the way of the wildflower is definitely unconventional — but not impossible.
The next time you wake up at 3 a.m., try thinking about the wildflowers and give your worries to the God who created you and promises to care for you.
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