Jesus said, "Do not fret, from morning to evening and from evening to morning, [about your food--what you're going to eat, or about your clothing--] what you are going to wear. [You're much better than the lilies, which neither card nor spin. As for you, when you have no garment, what will you put on? Who might add to your stature? That very one will give you your garment.]" (36 Thomas)

Do not fret. Do not worry. Do not be anxious. Do not expect the worst.

Nothing good comes from such foolish indulgence. No amount of worry will change the past. Our expectations - good or bad - can be self-fulfilling.

Do not worry. Accept your vulnerability. We each abide on the cusp of chaos.

Consider the lilies: frost, wind, drought, and more threaten. Yet we thrill to their beauty and their perennial resilience. Do not worry.

Pay attention. Give thanks. Grow. Create. Love. But do not fret.

The synoptic parallels are Luke 12:22-34 and Matthew 6:25-34.