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Off and on throughout the morning the sparrows have landed on my windowsill to eat the seed I put out for them. After three or four bites, they crane their necks to glance inside. Without hands to shield their eyes, it is all to no avail. I can see them, but they can\'t see me. As nearly as I can determine, they do not seem any more anxious about today\'s cold than they were with yesterday\'s relative warmth.

And just below the windowsill, in the flowerbed, the flowers planted there seem unaffected by the colder-than-normal temperatures recently enveloping North Texas. Their colors are as vibrant today as they were five weeks ago when they were planted. They do not worry about God\'s provision; they bloom where they are planted.

Isaiah wrote, "Say to those with anxious thoughts, "Take courage, fear not" (Isaiah 35:4). And I would add, consider the sparrows and the pansies. If you do so, they will bolster your courage and arm you against worry because they are tangible, simple testimonies that God is sufficient for them and will be for you as well.

Determining to believe God, and not yield to worry, is not synonymous with sticking your head in the sand. It is wise to assess the circumstances in your life and consider the challenges you may face. Given the ungracious circumstances around us, this can be an arduous undertaking. But fretting, losing sleep, worrying, or yielding to anxiety does not help. Not only do these responses not add a single moment of comfort, they do not answer the challenges before you or take into consideration the promises of your Heavenly Father to care for you.

Plan, yes. Contemplate, and consider, yes. Evaluation is appropriate, but worry is not. Worry is built upon a false supposition--that God is insufficient to handle your concerns--not to mention that it flies in the face of Father\'s counsel in Scripture.

God\'s consolations are before you. Your worry may become a reality, but it won\'t kill the sparrow on your window sill, uproot the pansies in your flower bed, or diminish Gods determination to take care of you today. Take courage. Father\'s grace is more profound than the potential ungraciousness proposed in your worry.

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