My grandson recently walked through my home and said, “Mami, I counted your birds and you have fifty-four!” I laughed and thought, that’s all?
I don’t know when I started collecting birds. It’s really not as overkill as it may sound coming from an eight year old but I do like birds. There’s something innocent and peaceful about them. And I know my intrigue is directly related to the words of Jesus:
“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26).
Another translation says: “Consider the birds– do you think they worry about their existence? They don’t plant or reap or store up food, yet your heavenly Father provides them each with food. Aren’t you much more valuable to your Father than they?” (TPT). The obvious answer here is, yes.
Jesus taught in parables to help us look at life through an eternal lens. In other words, if we only view things naturally, we’ll miss the point. I don’t recall how many types of birds exist in the world, but it’s in the tens of thousands and God created them all. He took the time to design them and give them purpose– how much more value (Jesus said) are you to Him?
So much more!
I heard a minister once say when he feels the stress of life creep in, he finds a place to sit (outside or by a window) and intentionally watches the birds. He described their innocent actions of chirping and bouncing from branch to branch, noticing how carefree they are– and he would remind himself of this verse. “Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds” (MSG).
The push and shove of responsibilities, work and family, can be tiresome. Even in the light of New Year’s resolutions, if our focus is on the wrong thing, even the best of resolutions can fade away. The best of intentions get replaced with the busyness of L-I-F-E unless we take Jesus’ words to heart and intentionally remind ourselves of God’s care.
Peter said, “Be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you” (1 Peter 5:7, MSG). Living carefree like the birds doesn’t remove the need for responsibility. It just means you know how to live daily in the care of God.
I’m going to sound extra nerdy now, but I follow a bird account on Instagram and it’s fascinating to me to watch birds build their nests. With great intentionality and design, they weave their twigs and leaves into intricate homes. It’s impressive. And I can’t help but wonder if heaven watches us with the same fascination– building and designing our lives with purpose. Or do our efforts look more like a bird flying against the wind, stubbornly forging a way forward…?
I choose the carefree version. I want to rest in the care of God. I love to work and I stay busy most of the time. But I’ve also learned to live each day in the peace of God by choosing to “dwell in the secret place of the Most High” (Psalm 91:1) abiding under the shadow (and care) of His wings.
So let me encourage you to pause. Take a minute and look at the birds. You are of far more value to God than they.
