A Reading
“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life – whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?”
(Matthew 6: 25-27)
A Thought
Recently, during the rain, I opened our back door to take rubbish to the dustbin. There looking up at me was a bedraggled fledgling chick. I stood still, and the chick stared at me expectantly, it’s first encounter with a human. Was I going to offer it food or not? I closed the door and called for backup. Judith and Matthew joined me and I opened the door again. Still there, the chick stared at us expectantly. There was no apprehension visible, but the eyes were still asking whether or not we were going to offer it food. We stood still, wondering at its vulnerability. It decided to cut its losses and returned to the flower bed to re-join its fledged siblings.
The next day the sun shone. Our fledgling chicks were dressed in dry feathers and happily wandering around the flower bed and onto the drive. They were relaxed and confidently expecting food to arrive. Two hardworking parents (wagtails) provided the meal service, and ushered the chicks back towards the safety of the flower bed. We watched for hours, until they were moved again outside of our vision.
The chicks were wholly trusting in their parents. The parents guided them to safe areas, where no danger threatened, and met their needs.
It is often easier to fret when we find ourselves without regular income or provisions, but Jesus says that living in trepidation is not the purpose of real life. The chicks reminded us that God asks us to put our whole trust in him and not to worry. God will provide.
The chicks know that their parents will provide their needs and lead them to a new life in the sky. Our Father will do the same.
A Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus,
Help me to put my trust in you.
Amen