Why I don't worry about birds anymore

Matthew 10:29-31

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

Matthew 6:28

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.

Luke 12:27

“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

I used to worry about our birds. When we moved I prayed the new owners would love our home and yard as much as we had. We had put a lot of work into it. It took a year for us to get more than one bird at the feeder, and when we moved we had many dozens filling the yard with song and color.

I forgot something important - as much as I loved those birds they were not my birds.  They belong to God. And as His, they are cared for outside of my human hands. I was a way He provided for them, but not the only way they were fed.

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 not much more valuable than they?

If God loves His creatures so much, how much more does He love us?

And He loves those we don't love. And those we love best. And those we don't know. They, we, are all His.

I used to worry about doing enough. Being enough. And I would fail. Every time. And with good reason. I am not enough. Never will be. Neither will you.  We aren't meant to be. 

God asks us to walk humbly with Him. To love Him fully (mind, body, spirit). To love one another as we love Him. (yeah He does). He asks us to trust Him. Faith, Hope and Love.

It is easier to worry about those birds. To fret about them. To be angry that we had to leave them behind. Easier to try and take something that isn't mine.

We drove past our old place. It was not lived in full time. But the yard was full of birds! Every plant we had grown had reseeded from fallen or stashed seeds. They had so much and many varities of food and shelter. All from the work we had done before we left. And all without us being there in the present.

The trees we planted. The flowers that went to seed. They all grew, bloomed and bore fruit under the watchful eye of God. Their master. We were good stewards for a few seasons, and what we left flourished.

It can be that way in relationships - we can be close to someone for a reason or for a season. We can be present in big ways or small. What we should not do is discount the presence of God there. 

When the relationship changes, or ends, God's presence does not leave when we physically do.  And even when we are not there in the same way, our prayers can be there. We can intercede for them, praying over the seeds we planted in our time together. For the fruit that can ripen and mature in them, and in us.

God desires unity in the Church, the body of believers, and desires reconciliation between us and to Himself.  How we think that should work or look is often very different than His plan!  Letting go of our ownership of the situation, and giving it to the rightful owner God, lets us approach it with prayer. With love. In grace. So that God can work in their hearts and ours.

My birds know I am the one who brings them food. They trust me to keep the feeders full. Ultimately if I have to leave God will still provide for them. They trust me. I trust Him.

I miss my friends who are moving to other places in their lives. I cherish the small and mighty steps a relationship is taking towards reconciliation. I am tenderly growing a garden of love with someone who is important in our lives, and not someone I am close to. In all of this I need to be humble (this isn't about me, but about God, the Kingdom) and I need to trust God. Totally trust God. Like a bird. Like a flower. Like a lamb. Like a child.

 And as a recovering control freak the trust factor is a daily battle. I want plans. I want back up plans. I want a bug out plan. I want a press release and sneak peeks. God wants my faith. He wants my prayers. He desires my full hearted trust.  

What worries don't belong to you? How can we pray together?