Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Why Worry?

"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 important than food, and the body more important 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? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" - Matthew 6:25-27

I had a night all to myself, being that Evan was at school. So, I wanted to get out of my house for a little while since it was such a gorgeous night, so I decided to pack up my bible and a blanket and go to the park to have some quiet time with God. I sat myself down on a bench between two big shade trees, facing a pond. As I was sitting there reading through my bible, I looked up a noticed a little goldfinch sitting on the branch of a tree that had fallen into the pond.Every now and again, he would fly up into the air, flutter around, and land back down on the tree. It took me a minute to realize what he was doing, but I figured out that he was catching bugs in mid-air. Sometimes he would catch two or three in the same flight. I watched him for a good five minutes and was fascinated by what was happening right in front of me.

As I was watching this adorable little goldfinch catch his dinner, Matthew 6:26 came into my head. I started thinking, "Here is this little bird, who doesn't have any real purpose to his life, and yet God is providing food for him to stay alive." I had not eaten dinner yet, and I thought to myself, "I am going to go home shortly and I am not worried whether or not there will be food for me to eat when I get home. I know I have food at home. I know I also have clothes to wear, and a house to live in." I had to stop and say a thank you prayer to God. God takes care of my little goldfinch friend, and He takes care of me. I have nothing to worry about.

Just then, a beautiful blue heron swooped down out of the sky and flew across the pond. Blue herons are probably my favorite birds in the world because they are so majestic and beautiful.
The blue heron landed on the bank of the pond and out of my line of sight. A few moments later, he swooped back to the middle of the pond, right in front of where I was sitting and stood in the water, perfectly still. I could see him peering into the water and every once in a while he would move ever so slightly to get a better look. He was hunting for fish. So, now I had two completely different kinds of birds being fed by my Heavenly Father!

I was so moved by this seemingly ordinary scenario. I was so thankful to be sitting there witnessing all this. We have nothing to worry about because our Heavenly Father takes care of us, just as he takes care of the birds of the air. Thank you Jesus!

Friday, September 03, 2010

Jesus' Prayer for You and Me

John 17:20-26
"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."