A LITTLE BIRD TOLD ME...

Sometimes we think of "worry" as an acceptable sin. After all, if we are worried about something it just means we care deeply about that thing, right? But Jesus sheds a different light on worry. He said, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (Matthew 6:27).

When you think about it, what good comes from worrying? All it does is work us up emotionally or tear us down spiritually. Worry either paralyzes us with inaction or leads to unhelpful reactions. But faith leads to proactive action. All of this is "self-talk" because I can worry with the best of them!

This week I was driving away from a hospital feeling racked with worry. I was focused on all the potential downsides for the person I'd gone to see. Then...no kidding...as I was talking out loud to God about all this person was facing, a little bird fell out of the sky to the road right in front of me! It was almost comical to see this dead bird, about the size of a sparrow, falling motionless and upside down from the sky above. It was like God dropped a fake bird from Heaven right in front of me with impeccable timing.

The words of Jesus about worry took wing in my heart. "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?" (Matthew 6:26-27).

Ben Franklin's reference to Jesus' words in 1787 when he called for prayer during the Constitional Convention, also jumped to mind and put this experience in context for me. He said, "The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?"

The sparrow-sized bird that fell to the ground in front of my car this week was a great reminder that God still governs in our affairs. He provides all that we need. The person I was worried about is more valuable to God than I could ever imagine! He will take care of her. He will take care of you!

Today I'm going to do with worry what the Apostle Peter encourages us to do with it - "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7). I feel bad for that little bird, but I'm really glad it had a dying message for my life.