While walking the other day two tiny birds flew down and landed really close to me. I stopped to watch them as they pecked at the ground for food. They moved closer to me as I stood there like a statue but the second I moved they flew off at high speed.
I thought about how carefree they seemed, and in that moment I wished I was a bird – to fly free and be free from all the responsibilities of this life as a human. Birds don’t have to worry about money or work or school, after all… But with a little more thought on my part I realised that they actually don’t have such a carefree life. They have dangers to worry about – predators that will swoop down and eat them if they let down their guard for a moment. They possibly have other bird issues too – I mean, I’m not sure as I have never been a bird before, but I’m sure they do have other issues to worry about!
The weekend before this whole bird encounter, I had spent a couple of days in hospital with my wife and our daughter who had been admitted because a virus had left her very dehydrated and unable to take in liquids without the aid of a drip. Before this weekend I had also been working extremely hard on getting my finances in order. My finances were starting to move into the green light area of a very tight budget. A savings account of some sort was starting to peek out like a silver lining in the clouds – but now with our daughter in hospital and with her not yet being on our family medical aid, I found myself with a depleted bank account once again and three quarters of a month still to go before our next payday. This, for any man who has a house, a wife and three kids to look after, can be a very scary situation to be faced with. I know without a doubt that I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and anxious and every kind of negative thought rushed through my brain. How was I going to get fuel for my car, and feed my family?
Those two little birds that day brought to mind some comforting words I had heard from a very wise man:
“Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?” – Luke 12:24
So with these words ringing in my ear I thought of three things you can remember:
- I am more precious to God than the birds
God loves all his creation, I am sure, but humans were the pinnacle of his creation. We are the apple of his eye and what we can know for sure is that, if the needs of animals are taken care of on a daily basis, then we can rest assured that God will see to it that our needs are met also. I know it’s not always easy to stand with your faith and trust firmly intact but I believe that that is one of the keys to seeing the miraculous happen in your situation.
- There’s no point in worrying
Another key to seeing the miraculous happen is to stop worrying. After all, what does worry accomplish? Will worrying change the situation? No it won’t, so instead of worrying, present your request to God with thanksgiving and praise and just have faith that as you do what you can, God will add the miraculous. Sometimes when we worry we can get so flustered and so anxious that we end up making stupid decisions that can end up making our situation even worse than before.
- Seek God first
This is one of the biggest lessons I have learned recently. Just seek God first before anything else and He will take care of the rest. In Luke 12:29-30 we are told that God already knows all our needs and that if we seek the Kingdom of God (that is to say if we are in a relationship with God through His son Jesus Christ, and we live a life led by His teachings and the leading of the Holy Spirit), all of our needs will be fully met. Of course there’s a difference between needs and wants:
- Needs: These are our basic necessities, like food and water and shelter in the form of clothing and warmth from the cold or rain. So basically needs would be the one thing you would give up all of your wants for if wants were all you had and nothing else.
- Wants: These are luxuries; the things we do not need to survive in life, like cell phones and flat-screen televisions. So basically, wants are all those material things we have that would ultimately mean very little to us if we were starving to death or were without a drink of water for a few days.
I hope this has helped you get some perspective in whatever situation you find yourself today. It’s not always easy to stay calm, but if you seek the Kingdom of God above all else I know he will give you everything you need. If you would like to stop struggling through this life alone then click the link below or click on the pop-up menu. We’d love to chat and help you find peace.