Don't Worry - Listen to the Birds

By Bill Gaultiere © 2008, 2010

I was thinking of Jesus’ words: “Don’t worry. Look at the birds… Your Heavenly Father cares for them. Aren’t you much more valuable than them?” (Matthew 6:25-26, PAR). (The Psalmist had a similar meditation that Jesus may have drawn from, Psalm 104:12, 17, 27-30).

And they inspired me to sit down and do some bird watching while I prayed today as I was alone with Jesus in the quiet for a few hours. As I watched and listened to what was going on above my head Jesus spoke to my heart.

Don’t misunderstand me. The Lord’s voice didn’t come to me like lightening filling the sky. And I didn’t see an angel. At first many things distracted me: lawnmowers and grass blowers, a cold wind blowing, my own concerns and worries. But I kept looking at the birds in the heavens (the lowest level of the kingdom of the heavens is the air right around us) and I kept listening.

I discovered that indeed I was alive in the Kingdom of God with the Trinity, the angels, Christ followers – ancient and present – and all of God’s creation, including the birds who were God’s messengers to me on this day.

Here’s what I heard Jesus whisper to me:

Don’t Worry: Listen to the Birds

Don’t worry: Look at the birds;

Trust my Father as they do,

Feeding each day from his hand.

~

Don’t worry: Listen to the birds;

Rest in my Word as they do,

Sitting quietly and alone on the Branch.

~

Don’t worry: Learn from the birds;

Sing with my angels as they do,

Harmonizing with the choruses of heaven.

~

Don’t worry: Live like the birds;

Fly with my Spirit as they do,

Responding to the currents of my Breath.

~

Don’t worry: Love like the birds;

Gather with my friends as they do,

Traveling in formation as my flock.

For more help overcoming worry read: Why the Birds Don’t Worry.

You can read my post, "Abba's Child", on my Soul Shepherding blog which I post on more regularly. You can sign up to receive the Soul Shepherding blog or the bi-monthly Christian Soul Care Devotional I write.

Thank you!

Bill
Director of Spiritual Formation Ministries
Crystal Cathedral

Trying to get more done in less time?

I was talking with a friend who likes to drive in the fast lane. He thrives on trying to get more done in less time in order to be successful. He’s very productive… and stressed.

He doesn’t realize that he’s continually recruiting adrenaline to give him the boost of energy and confidence that he feels he needs to handle all of his responsibilities. His body’s production of adrenaline is like his own drug manufacturing plant! He has adrenaline dependence.

Other people get their adrenaline hits through extreme sports, risky behavior, or loud music.

Adrenaline is God’s gift to us. It’s meant to help us respond to emergencies and urgent needs. Used sparingly it’s a good thing. Used continually it wears down your body and diminishes your life. (Doctors have called this “hurry sickness.”) You get to the point where it’s hard to slow down and enjoy the little blessings in each day – birds singing, children playing, relaxing with a friend, prayer.

It’s difficult for people like my friend to get off of adrenaline. It feels so good! It helps them to get more done. And when they slow down (and aren’t stimulating themselves with adrenaline) they feel tired, empty, and depressed.

I myself have overcome adrenaline dependence. And I’ve helped pastors and other leaders get off the destructive habit of relying on the body’s “speed.”

Freedom comes with learning to set boundaries on work and “urgent” demands and slow down your pace of life. It can be helpful to practice slowing down your pace of life by driving in the slow lane on the road in order to enjoy music (that’s not too loud!) or to pray. Best of all is to learn the value of spending large blocks of time in silence and solitude in order to “be still” with Jesus. (Start with 30 minutes and build from there.)

Slowing down can’t be learned in a “self-help” program. You might have adrenaline withdrawals. You’ll probably feel bored, restless, or insignificant. You need to “process” your emotions with someone and to get coaching on learning new ways of coping with stress.

Hurry Sickness

Hurry sickness is rampant today in our culture. We rush from thing to thing. We try to get more done in less time. We use adrenaline (and caffeine) to pump us up and makes us feel alive and powerful.

Hurry sickness is bad for our health. It diminishes soul. And it destroys our relationships with one another and with God.

For most of my life I've done this. But I've been learning to stay out of the fast lane, to walk slower, and to pause to breathe and to pray.

In the Gospels I see that Jesus was never in a hurry - except at the end of his life when he headed toward Jerusalem to embrace his cross! (We tend to do the opposite by hurring into pleasures and achievements and refusing to deny ourselves.) Jesus always had time to enjoy people and to care for them. He always had time to pray.

What a joy it is when we learn to enjoy the moment with God!

What's your experience?