Worry, Anxiety and Birdfeeders

I've been thinking a lot about birds, little birds; in fact, I've been pre-occupied with sparrows lately. One winter Bob make a number of birdfeeders which now sit on the fence in our back yard. He stocks them every day, sometimes twice a day, with birdseed. Lately the feeders have been full of birds, little sparrows, blacks birds, doves, etc. They sit on the fence waiting their turn, others are in the trees waiting to follow. They empty the feeders each day, sometimes twice a day and search the ground for the seed that may have fallen.

Every time I look out the back windows I see sparrows. And every time I see the sparrows I am reminded of the words of Jesus in Matthew 10 and Luke 12.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

Our Father knows each of those little birds in my backyard. He knows if any will "fall to the ground" today and He cares for them. Jesus used the example of the sparrows to confront the worry and anxiety in our lives.

We are worth more than many sparrows to our Father, so much so that He knows the most intimate details about each of us, even the number of the hairs on our heads.

We are a very anxious society, and truthfully, this life offers much about which to be anxious. Lately, I've battled some health issues, nothing life-threatening, just issues that may be here to stay and demand some work to manage symptoms. And that can make me anxious, nervous and uncertain about my abilities to do what I need to do.

Sparrows. Those tiny birds in my backyard gather every morning and wait for Bob to awaken and replenish their feeder. They are not anxious. They sit in trees and swing on branches and sing their praise to God. Somehow they know that Bob won't fail them. He'll be there with their daily supply.

Me. I need to remember every morning that God will not fail me either. He'll be there with my daily supply. I can sit and swing and praise Him certain that He cares for me!