By: Dawn Santos
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Matthew 6:26-27 NIV
“Look at the birds of the air…”
Roughly 6 months ago, my husband and I impulsively bought a bird feeder to add to our backyard. I was curious how many different kinds of birds this seed, nut, fruit, and worm buffet would attract. It took about three days for the ‘chirp to spread’ that there was a new fly-in on the block. Over the next few days, I spent quite some time ‘looking at the birds of the air.’ I didn't just see the birds, I was mindful of them. I focused on and analyzed their behavior. Jesus did say to look at the birds, so birdwatching is technically spiritual growth.
“...they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them.”
As I watched different species of birds near the feeder, I noticed that there was no food aggression. Each bird patiently waited their turn to freely feast. There were no signs of angst or worry. Why? Birds don’t have a scarcity mentality; they don’t fear about where their food will come from. God provides enough food for every bird on this planet AND they don’t have to do any work to receive it. They don’t plant seeds, or harvest crops, or have any pantries to store it. They trust God to provide and He feeds them. That is an observable fact.
“Are you not much more valuable than they?”
This doesn’t require an answer. It’s meant to give us perspective about our identity as a human being, the only creation made in the image of God. As one of God’s children, you are obviously far more valuable than one of God’s creatures, a bird. If God graciously provides this level of hospitality and care to mere birds of the air, why would He neglect you and I? This leads us to consider the following:
Do you understand your value as a daughter of the Lord Almighty?
What has God promised to those who trust Him? Name as many as you can!
“Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”
I’m going to assume we all agree that the answer is, “No, but…” That’s what chronic worriers (myself included) would answer! But in all sincerity, believers shouldn’t be spending physical or mental energy worrying/fretting/obsessing about the basic things needed to survive like food, clothing, or even personal possessions. God our Father knows what we actually need, so when we waste our time concerned about such things, we are acting like unbelievers. Ouch!
If worrying doesn’t add any time to our day, what does the habit or practice actually accomplish? And, why do we, as women, fall victim to worry when we know God asks us not to?
Matthew 6:33 is one of the greatest calls to action when battling chronic worry or anxiety about your life. It says, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.”
When believers start DOING what is truly important to God the Father, everything that a person needs is provided.
We ended up taking the bird feeder down because of the annoyingly persistent squirrels. About 2 weeks later, I was outside on the back porch looking out into the canal and I watched a rather large bird swoop down and collect a small fish in its beak from the waters below. It was as if God whispered to me at that moment, “see, child, my word is true and my promises never fail.”
I hope that from now on when you look at the birds of the air, you are reminded that you are valuable to God. He knows your needs, and you can trust him to provide for you as you seek his kingdom first.