He cares for you

I recently had the privilege of viewing a beautiful piece of art by a young artist that helped me more deeply understand God's care for each of us. In the piece, the artist had drawn a self-portrait; from off the page, there was a speech bubble with an unseen person asking if she was OK, and from the artist's own mouth, an affirmative answer echoed from the page.

Around her head, however, the artist had courageously written her worries and insecurities, both big and small. They were honest and relatable concerns, and as I read each of them, I felt an overwhelming wave of love, admiration and care for this person wash over my heart. It wasn't a feeling of wanting to fix each of these things for her; it was a feeling of wanting her to believe she is seen and known and loved and cared for and beautiful in each of them, as she is, right now, in the questions. I also felt honored to be trusted as a viewer of the depths of her heart.

And in that, I realized: this is how God sees me, how God feels about me. God is like the viewer of my own self-portrait, able to see each of my worries and concerns, big and small, that float around my head. God cares for each of them, wants to know each of them, considers each of them worthy of attention. God wants to be in each of these concerns with me, not to fix them, necessarily, but because the answer to all prayer is God, whom my heart is really yearning for. The question my worries ask is, "Do you care, God?" And the answer his presence gives is, "Yes."

So, look at the way the wildflowers grow. They do not work to attain things or make things for themselves, and yet not even the greatest, wealthiest, most influential person is clothed in such beauty as they are. Flowers bloom for a day or two, and then we throw them away. If God provides such beauty for wildflowers, won't he delight in providing much more for his children? O us of faith the size of a mustard seed, of small faith, of childlike faith, tell me, why do we doubt?

I think that is not always a rhetorical question when Jesus hints at it in Matthew 6:30 and asks it directly in Matthew 14:31; I think it is an honest question he looks at us and asks with such love and admiration in his eyes, truly wanting to hear our answer. And when we tell it to him, give it over through words or art or however else we relate to God, we make room for him to pour his grace, love and compassion into our hearts, lives and worries, transforming our doubt perhaps all at once, or perhaps little by little, day by day, helping us to become believers. It is, I believe, a lifelong process, this gradual conversion to the idea we could be worthy of the God of the universe caring deeply about anything we care about. This idea that he treasures each of our worries, questions, doubts, fears. This idea that just as we are able to see someone's worries and care for them, how much more he is able to do so for us.

Whatever you're worried about, tell him. He cares for you.