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 clothing?
Look at the birds in the sky;
they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns,
yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are not you more important than they?
If we heard nothing more from this gospel than, "Look at the birds in the sky!" we would have heard wonderful advice. And we might well arrive at the same conclusion, "Do not worry about your life!" and, "Your father knows that you need them all!"
Don't just glance up at the sky and see a bird flick by. Stop, sit down, and watch for a while. It's Saturday in mid-summer! Can you think of anything better to do than take Jesus' advice. Watch that hawk, buzzard, or flycatcher! If its evening watch the chimney swifts circle their nests or the nighthawks. Or the bats! They're amazing too! Look!
While you're at it, breathe and think how wonderful it is to breathe, and that the birds are also breathing. As are the trees and grasses, and the flowers of the field, more splendid in their garments than King Solomon. While we consume oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide; the plants consume carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen. How wonderful is that?
Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?
We've made it this far. We'll probably get through this day, and tomorrow, and the next.
God is good.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.