Bird Teachers

Avid birdwatcher that I am, you’d think I would have learned my lesson by now. But I haven’t. It’s not that the birds aren’t good teachers either. This problem rests with the student.

Earlier this spring, I experienced a few consecutive days of fretting.
Anxiety stationed itself.
Panic surrounded me.
Tears flowed.

That next Sunday morning while still lying in bed, I reflected on the previous week’s turmoil. I wondered with God: “What was that all about?”

Immediately, I sensed this answer:
“You took your eyes off me.”

Well, now, that would do it, wouldn’t it?
Take your eyes off Him, and you’re looking at the waves.
You’re focused on the storm.
The unemployment.
The economy.
Health.
Things over which there’s no control.

The waves build.

FEAR OVERTAKES YOU.

That’s why I need to listen to those feathered teachers.
If the birds were flying around all frantic about tomorrow,
they wouldn’t have time to sing today.
They’d have no energy for nest building.
They’d miss the present.

And didn’t another teacher once say not to borrow worry from tomorrow?
To trust.
To not be afraid.
To remember how we are cared for.

To look at the lilies.

To look at the birds.