WFW: Consider the Birds

If you've ever had a pet, you know that they depend on you. You are the one who gives them food, water, shelter, affection, etc. If they are afraid, your reassurance that everything is okay is all that they need to hear to calm them down. So it is with God; He is our shelter, our Provider. So why do we worry? Matthew 6:25-26 states, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 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?"

Jesus admonishes us to look at the birds and notice how they depend on Him for food. When you take a walk outside, you hear all the beautiful singing of the birds. They don't seem to have a care in the world; they're just these happy, little singing birds. Why is that? I have a bright green and yellow parakeet. He depends on me to give him fresh food and water every day, and he doesn't worry about it because he knows that I'm going to do what needs to be done to take care of him. Actually, worry is far from this bird's mind; he sings and sings all day. From a room next-door, his beautiful singing can be heard. He has two toy bells. One is rusted, and the other is shiny. He likes to sing to his reflection in the shiny bell! He has learned to repeat some words -- "Pretty bird" is just one of them. He knows that he is pretty because I tell him so, and he repeats this to his reflection almost every day. A good lesson can be learned from this bird: First, he knows who his supplier and caretaker is, and he doesn't worry about his needs being met; he knows that I will take care of him, because I love him. Do we know Who our supplier is? And if we do, do we trust Him to take care of us, just like the birds do? Second, he sees his reflection and he sings to it, telling himself who he is based on what I (his caretaker and owner) tell him; he trusts that what I say is correct, and he believes it. Jesus said, "Are you not of more value than they [the birds]?" Since we have so much more value than even the smallest of birds, do we see who God created us to be and enjoy who we are in Him, or do we look at our reflection and complain about what we see? Do we hide God's Word in our hearts so much that we know WHO we are in Him, and we are not worried about anything at all because of our trust in Him? Matthew 6:31-33 says, "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."