I’m sitting in my office and looking out the window in contemplation about some things we are working on in our ministry.  And as I look at the mountains in the distance I notice a bird, or birds, flying back and forth, up and down.  They are obviously building a nest somewhere on the building above my office window.  Back and forth, up and down, carrying twigs and grass clippings up to that home under construction.

Sometimes a bird will fly up with a piece of building material that seems bigger than they are, and then I watch parts of all of it come tumbling or floating back down past my window.  Obviously this is a precarious work in progress, and it has built into it some things that don’t work out completely.  I don’t know if birds get frustrated, but I sure would – putting all that labor into the project only to have things fall off and having to retrieve them again.  That has happened to me a time or two working on stuff at the house, so I know whereof I speak.

But, all of this got me thinking about what the Lord says about birds, and even more what he says about birds that applies to my own life with him.  Remember these words, “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?”  (Matt 6:26, NIV).  I am reminded by these birds outside my window that God knows all about them and cares for them, BUT I am much more valuable to him than they are.  Sometimes it is easy to begin thinking that, in the scope of everything in the world that God is involved in, I am very insignificant.  But that is not true – I am significant to God, my life does have value beyond what I can imagine.  And, God has promised he will take care of me.

And, I also remembered something else, “Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head’.”  (Matt 8:20, NIV)  Christ’s coming to earth, living like we do as a human being, was not an easy thing at all for him to do.  He sacrificed his place in heaven so he could live, die and rise again – all so we could have eternal life in him.  It reminds me that in Matthew 6 Jesus went on to say, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  (Matt 6:33, NIV)

And so, little birdie, thanks for the reminder today, and the lessons you remind me of from God’s Word.  Today, I need to be less concerned about material things and more concerned over eternal matters at hand, in my life and in the lives of people around me that I might have influence on.  And, though life can be frustrating as things don’t always work out like we plan we have to remember that the Lord is watching and he knows about our struggles.  He is even using some of those struggles in life to grow us into who he wants us to be.

So, today I am thankful for all that God has done for me, so much so that I will renew my commitment to seek HIS kingdom and righteousness ahead of anything else in this world.  And I’ll just choose to let go of the frustrations of life and rejoice that he knows me and is watching over me.  And too, I will watch as the nest built over my window brings new life into the world – and maybe, just maybe, what God is doing in me can bring new life to someone else.

Amen.