Brilliant Griffin! Your emphasis on going out to enjoy creation is music to my ears as someone who writes much (and waxes lyrical) about creation, nature and creation stewardship. One of my best reads of 2025 was 'The Language of Rivers and Stars' by Seth Lewis, which I reviewed for the Gospel Coalition. It is a book in which argues creation is speaking to us about God, and its main message goes well with your piece: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/language-rivers-stars/
On your “more heaven, less problems”, is this necessarily true? Jesus says, followers of Him will have tribulation and suffering, more problems(!) perhaps for following Him. But then, in the next breath He says "take heart for I have overcome the world". So, maybe it's more accurate to say, "more heaven, more peace", which is what Psalm 23 is saying: even in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death (big, huge problem!), I will not fear, for you are with me - and, to bring in another few paraphrased Psalms: in the midst of all my problems I can lie down and sleep, for you are with me and will keep me in perfect peace. The more I focus (meditate) on You, the more peace I have.
This is a peace that in Heaven will be complete, eternal, and unshakable -- and completely problem free.
I loved this piece! thanks so much for sharing it man.
And yes, you're quite right about this clarification on the "more heaven, less problems" point. I was counting on the overall silly nature of those sentences to dissuade people from reading too deeply between the lines; but I should have counted on my truest nemesis to offer such a precise reading of this text that he could point out its fatal flaw. You've won the day, Turner; but I will win the war.
Solid piece on reframing anxiety around control. That Freud-Rilke anecdote really captures how future-worry kills present joy, and linking it to mammon makes total sense because financial stress is basically control-seeking on steroids. I've noticed this in my own life were reducing spending on nonessentials actually made me happier, not more restricted. The resonance idea connects well too, when we're constantly trying to control outcomes, we miss those unplanned moments that actually feed the soul.
I don't think it's a coincidence that the most beautiful things on this earth are fragile and mortal -- from flowers to humans. It's a way that God reminds us to not take them for granted or to control them or artificially preserve them or horde them, as Freud seemed to understand when he walked through the countryside with Rilke. Their fleetingness (in mortality, anyway) is what makes them precious and worth focusing on. I loved this essay!
This is so good, and so true. But I have to ask you or other commenters: how do we reconcile the fear of not being able to provide well, or at all, for our children? I often say that if it was just my husband and myself: give me a van down by the river and a stack of books and I would be perfectly content. I really truly mean it. But: kids. Especially when one grew up poor oneself.
There is a scene in that Carson McCullers novel, I can't remember its title offhand but it's the famous one, where the family is struggling financially and someone comes to repossess the youngest child's beloved tricycle. We adults can say "well I'll just sit on this park bench and watch the birds and feel God's peace no matter our circumstances" and that is true and good and right. But if our children go without, even when their lives are already modest and not particularly materialistic, how do we get to a place of peace with that? Truly interested in anyone's wisdom on this topic.
Wow that sounds like a wild novel. I’ll have to check that out. And I'm honestly not sure how to handle that question. It's something I'll think about. Thanks for reading!
Went to bed last night thinking about the first commandment and woke this morning to the thought that the only way to love God wholeheartedly is through joy. Then read your post with my morning coffee, rejoicing the whole time. Then took my cold morning winter walk with this assignment in mind: look at the birds of the air. The Lord did not disappoint me. I saw and heard my absolute favorite winter phenomenon—flocks and flocks and flocks of Canadian geese going over—honestly, thousands of them—their graceful V’s crossing and crisscrossing one another, their chorus of honks filling the air. What glory!! Just wanted you to know how your writing was part of the Lord speaking to me today.
It's fascinating to me that the Queens-based philosopher Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson held to the view that life boiled down to "Get rich or die tryin'" while his Brooklyn-born predecessor Christopher "B.I.G." Wallace had posthumously preached that "more money = more problems". Although it could of course be argued that Wallace's words were not so much a warning about the dangers of money addiction as it was a warning that material gain brings about moochers.
Great job on this. As a wealth manager to Christian families, I live in this tension daily. "Now, we should note that Jesus doesn’t say a faithful follower can’t have money or possessions; He says we can’t serve money."
It's so easy to jump to the conclusion money = bad. Which is not the case. But it also naïve to not acknowledge it is uniquely alluring.
Also, I love this paraphrase. It makes the passage so much clearer. Hope its accurate because I'm going to start using it :). "The lamp of one’s life is one’s goal; if your goal is sound, your whole life will be luminous. But if your goal is wrong, your whole life will be darkness.”
so glad you liked it Jake!! And yes I believe that paraphrase is accurate because I borrowed it directly from a man who's much more intelligent and credentialed as I.
I love this, Griffin. Our budget puts constraints on our activities, but when I view that limit as how God is shaping our family's habits and activities, I don't succumb to false guilt that children should be able to pursue anything their hearts desire. May we live like we believe what we say we believe. The outside bit resonates with me. My new year's intention is to get outside every day. Yesterday I almost broke my streak (which honestly would've been okay since I'm going to use the Atomic Habits guideline to never miss twice in a row) but right before pjs and teeth brushing, my son and put on our coats and took a quick walk around the block and talked about the constellations and noticed how close and bright the stars were and chatted about some upcoming changes our family is prepping for. It was the best moment of the day.
This is such an excellent reflection Abigail (and I feel like a wonderful case study that the best activities in life are truly free). Such a wonderful story - maybe you should consider writing about it!
Consider the lilies’ wasn’t Jesus starting a mindfulness podcast. It was a roast. Birds have no 401k, no five-year plan, and zero control issues. Somehow they’re still okay. Meanwhile we worship spreadsheets and call it responsibility.
The connection you draw between anxiety, control, and mammon feels honest rather than moralizing. I appreciate how you frame money not as evil but as a temptation toward self-protection that quietly narrows our vision. The lilies and birds passage was an amazing point, as an invitation to loosen our grip long enough to actually love what’s in front of us.
"The lilies of the field and the birds of the air are little teachers God places in creation to remind us that things aren’t as bad as our imaginations make them out to be."
I taught through the Sermon on the Mount in my women's group last year. The day after a particular lesson about money and trusting God, one of my gals called me frantically, as they had a sudden financial emergency and she didn't know how they would afford it. We prayed and trusted God with it. "God, you say to trust you and not to worry...so we're going to trust you and not worry!" Hours later, a clerical error was discovered and the situation was resolved. It was so fun to see our faith grow in real time.
Brilliant Griffin! Your emphasis on going out to enjoy creation is music to my ears as someone who writes much (and waxes lyrical) about creation, nature and creation stewardship. One of my best reads of 2025 was 'The Language of Rivers and Stars' by Seth Lewis, which I reviewed for the Gospel Coalition. It is a book in which argues creation is speaking to us about God, and its main message goes well with your piece: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/language-rivers-stars/
On your “more heaven, less problems”, is this necessarily true? Jesus says, followers of Him will have tribulation and suffering, more problems(!) perhaps for following Him. But then, in the next breath He says "take heart for I have overcome the world". So, maybe it's more accurate to say, "more heaven, more peace", which is what Psalm 23 is saying: even in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death (big, huge problem!), I will not fear, for you are with me - and, to bring in another few paraphrased Psalms: in the midst of all my problems I can lie down and sleep, for you are with me and will keep me in perfect peace. The more I focus (meditate) on You, the more peace I have.
This is a peace that in Heaven will be complete, eternal, and unshakable -- and completely problem free.
I loved this piece! thanks so much for sharing it man.
And yes, you're quite right about this clarification on the "more heaven, less problems" point. I was counting on the overall silly nature of those sentences to dissuade people from reading too deeply between the lines; but I should have counted on my truest nemesis to offer such a precise reading of this text that he could point out its fatal flaw. You've won the day, Turner; but I will win the war.
Solid piece on reframing anxiety around control. That Freud-Rilke anecdote really captures how future-worry kills present joy, and linking it to mammon makes total sense because financial stress is basically control-seeking on steroids. I've noticed this in my own life were reducing spending on nonessentials actually made me happier, not more restricted. The resonance idea connects well too, when we're constantly trying to control outcomes, we miss those unplanned moments that actually feed the soul.
So glad you liked it!
I don't think it's a coincidence that the most beautiful things on this earth are fragile and mortal -- from flowers to humans. It's a way that God reminds us to not take them for granted or to control them or artificially preserve them or horde them, as Freud seemed to understand when he walked through the countryside with Rilke. Their fleetingness (in mortality, anyway) is what makes them precious and worth focusing on. I loved this essay!
Such a great reflection Brenna! Thank you for reading!
This is so good, and so true. But I have to ask you or other commenters: how do we reconcile the fear of not being able to provide well, or at all, for our children? I often say that if it was just my husband and myself: give me a van down by the river and a stack of books and I would be perfectly content. I really truly mean it. But: kids. Especially when one grew up poor oneself.
There is a scene in that Carson McCullers novel, I can't remember its title offhand but it's the famous one, where the family is struggling financially and someone comes to repossess the youngest child's beloved tricycle. We adults can say "well I'll just sit on this park bench and watch the birds and feel God's peace no matter our circumstances" and that is true and good and right. But if our children go without, even when their lives are already modest and not particularly materialistic, how do we get to a place of peace with that? Truly interested in anyone's wisdom on this topic.
Wow that sounds like a wild novel. I’ll have to check that out. And I'm honestly not sure how to handle that question. It's something I'll think about. Thanks for reading!
What
sorry reworked the comment! I was distracted while responding originally, my bad!
Went to bed last night thinking about the first commandment and woke this morning to the thought that the only way to love God wholeheartedly is through joy. Then read your post with my morning coffee, rejoicing the whole time. Then took my cold morning winter walk with this assignment in mind: look at the birds of the air. The Lord did not disappoint me. I saw and heard my absolute favorite winter phenomenon—flocks and flocks and flocks of Canadian geese going over—honestly, thousands of them—their graceful V’s crossing and crisscrossing one another, their chorus of honks filling the air. What glory!! Just wanted you to know how your writing was part of the Lord speaking to me today.
That is seriously so wonderfully encouraging! Thanks so much for sharing this Tracey!
Beautiful reflection. So thoughtful and well-researched. Always appreciate your words, Griffin.
Thanks so much Caroline!! Means a ton!
It's fascinating to me that the Queens-based philosopher Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson held to the view that life boiled down to "Get rich or die tryin'" while his Brooklyn-born predecessor Christopher "B.I.G." Wallace had posthumously preached that "more money = more problems". Although it could of course be argued that Wallace's words were not so much a warning about the dangers of money addiction as it was a warning that material gain brings about moochers.
Anyway what were we talking about?
this was excellent from beginning to end, alpha to omega
Great job on this. As a wealth manager to Christian families, I live in this tension daily. "Now, we should note that Jesus doesn’t say a faithful follower can’t have money or possessions; He says we can’t serve money."
It's so easy to jump to the conclusion money = bad. Which is not the case. But it also naïve to not acknowledge it is uniquely alluring.
Also, I love this paraphrase. It makes the passage so much clearer. Hope its accurate because I'm going to start using it :). "The lamp of one’s life is one’s goal; if your goal is sound, your whole life will be luminous. But if your goal is wrong, your whole life will be darkness.”
so glad you liked it Jake!! And yes I believe that paraphrase is accurate because I borrowed it directly from a man who's much more intelligent and credentialed as I.
Sold
I love this, Griffin. Our budget puts constraints on our activities, but when I view that limit as how God is shaping our family's habits and activities, I don't succumb to false guilt that children should be able to pursue anything their hearts desire. May we live like we believe what we say we believe. The outside bit resonates with me. My new year's intention is to get outside every day. Yesterday I almost broke my streak (which honestly would've been okay since I'm going to use the Atomic Habits guideline to never miss twice in a row) but right before pjs and teeth brushing, my son and put on our coats and took a quick walk around the block and talked about the constellations and noticed how close and bright the stars were and chatted about some upcoming changes our family is prepping for. It was the best moment of the day.
This is such an excellent reflection Abigail (and I feel like a wonderful case study that the best activities in life are truly free). Such a wonderful story - maybe you should consider writing about it!
Thanks.
My family is struggling right now, you just reminded me to just focus on the beautiful world God has created!
God bless!
so glad it was helpful! Thanks Mark!
Consider the lilies’ wasn’t Jesus starting a mindfulness podcast. It was a roast. Birds have no 401k, no five-year plan, and zero control issues. Somehow they’re still okay. Meanwhile we worship spreadsheets and call it responsibility.
This is a brilliant piece!
I love how you combine so many different authors and streams of thought into one cohesive work here!
Thanks so much Andrew!
The connection you draw between anxiety, control, and mammon feels honest rather than moralizing. I appreciate how you frame money not as evil but as a temptation toward self-protection that quietly narrows our vision. The lilies and birds passage was an amazing point, as an invitation to loosen our grip long enough to actually love what’s in front of us.
Thanks so much Victoria!
"The lilies of the field and the birds of the air are little teachers God places in creation to remind us that things aren’t as bad as our imaginations make them out to be."
🥲🥲🥲 Thank you.
🥲🥲
I taught through the Sermon on the Mount in my women's group last year. The day after a particular lesson about money and trusting God, one of my gals called me frantically, as they had a sudden financial emergency and she didn't know how they would afford it. We prayed and trusted God with it. "God, you say to trust you and not to worry...so we're going to trust you and not worry!" Hours later, a clerical error was discovered and the situation was resolved. It was so fun to see our faith grow in real time.
Thanks for this article!
Love this story! That is seriously so beautiful
Brilliant as usual Griffin!
Thanks Mackenzie!