We had some birds add to their family in our garage over the past few weeks. They were small, brown birds. That is as much ornithology as I know. It has been interesting to watch the process of the nest, the babies and the mother coming around to take care of them. This past week was especially interesting as we observed the mother flying into the garage, calling out for the babies, the babies returning the call, and then the mother flying to the babies to feed them. It is amazing how quickly the birds were able to leave their nest and begin flying. It seemed to be overnight.
I caught myself sitting in my car, listening to the mother, watching her turn her head to discover where her babies were. I imagined what the mother was saying to the babies. I imagined what my mother used to say when calling us. The frustration of us not answering when she called. As I watched the mother bird, I wondered if she had named them and was calling out their names. I wonder if she named one of them Johnny, after me. After all, we allowed them to be born in our garage. I really doubt she did. If only I knew what she was saying to them.
As I spent time watching the birds, a passage of scripture came into my mind. The passage is found in Matthew 6:26. “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 much more valuable than them?” When saying these words in His teachings, Jesus was sharing the promise of God caring for the people. He had mentioned different topics in the Sermon on the Mount. He had mentioned divorce, oaths, turning the other cheek, and even loving our enemies. These were topics about which the people needed to hear. Then there was the topic of worry.
There were obviously some who were concerned about their finances. In the verses just before this one, Jesus talked about the impossibility of serving both God and money. There must have been some division in their minds about which one should be their priority. Should they focus on making more money, or should they focus on serving God. One would make sure they had what they needed. The other would impact more people around them. There must have been some concern about “making ends meet.” We have been there before and you may be reading this while wondering how to pay the next bill, or even provide the next meal. Jesus wanted to give them some encouraging words. Maybe you need to hear these words today. If God cares enough about the birds to make sure they have what they need, then He will surely take care of your needs. Give your needs and concerns to God. He has promised us that He cares about us and will meet the needs of our life. Until next time..
Peace and Blessings… Johnny
