Let’s consider birds! Birds are accessible, ubiquitous, and everywhere. Anyone can see them with or without special equipment or training. Watching birds can be done by a child or an Ornithologist…
It requires one special skill… Which is the ability to really see! Waiting, watching, and listening are not glamorous, but are important skills to recognise birds. Spending time watching birds has been shown to improve mental health, restore attention spans, reduce anxiety, and lead to a greater sense of well-being. I would like to think that if I slow down more and watch birds, I will be like some famous bird watchers: Paul McCartney, Albert Einstein, and Agatha Christie. Even Jesus himself was a bird watcher.
Jesus used the phrase, “look at the birds” to help us understand life’s most profound lessons and to illustrate our value to God. Not one sparrow’s life was forgotten by God. To God, you and I are worth much more than the sparrows! Truly considering the birds should remove our worry about life, about the basics of food and clothing, and restore our worth.
Fun fact: An average Songbird can only survive 1-3 days without food, and in challenging conditions, they can only live less than 24 hours! For me, that means that God is calling us to trust Him and come to Him every day! His daily provision is promised and needed for us to survive and thrive in this life. Considering the birds today, we will find that God will supply everything we need.
“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 than food, and the body more 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? Matthew 6:25-26
Peter Chase
College Chaplain • Pastoral Care
