Ask a Bird

Matthew 6:25-27
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 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?”

"Ask a bird how to fly, and it might tell you to remove the weight from your wings." - Erin Loechner 

I sat on my daughter’s porch in South Carolina and enjoyed the cooler evening. She and her husband have a large backyard for their dogs to run in, with a shady tree in the middle. I relaxed on the covered porch and watched the birds.

As I enjoyed the quiet, a glorious bluebird darted from place to place,  with graceful flight and a carefree spirit. I say glorious because the brilliant blue body and wings, and the soft red against the white belly added a brilliant beauty to the sky.  

Jesus shared practical advice based on faith in his Sermon on the Mount. The birds have no reason to search for food. Instead, they depend on God, our heavenly Father, to provide seed for them to eat. Jesus reminded everyone that worry simply isn’t necessary. 

Because I love my family and friends, I catch myself worrying. I wish it didn’t. Even though through the years I’ve learned to pray first and maybe not worry so much, I can do better. The beautiful bluebird reminds me to “remove the weight from my wings.”

When I replace worry with prayer, my heart lifts and the heavy weight drops. 

Seek Jesus in times of worry. Cast your cares on Him.