• CAPSULES • COLOURS OF LIFE

I love a simple poem about a conversation between birds that goes:

Said the robin to the sparrow, “I would surely like to know

Why these anxious human beings Fret about and worry so!”

Said the sparrow to the robin. “I imagine it must be

That they have no heavenly Father Such as cares for you and me!”

Today’s world gives us more than enough to worry about. Where do we begin – health, education, safety, job security, food security. Not to talk of the strain the lockdown has placed on our lifestyle, our relationships, what it continues to do to our minds! The fact is things are tough and the future is uncertain. But the truth is there is a heavenly Father, whose care the birds enjoy and which makes them feel pity as they watch us lose sleep over our challenges. Can we learn a thing or two from the birds?

To illustrate how important we are to Him, God calls our attention to nature. All around us we see God’s creation, displaying His awesome splendour, declaring His mighty power. While we are on the look out for shooting stars and fire works, God is speaking to us through birds and flowers.

“Look at the birds, they don’t need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to Him than they are.” (Matt. 6:26).

And if bird watching is not your thing, then He says to you “Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.” (Matt. 6:30).

The world as we know it has changed forever and with that change has come a feeling of apprehension. The systems we trusted are no more, the structures we relied on are now in disarray. Many of us are not sure how we would make a living in the post-COVID society. We are worried and trying to stay alive and safe. Our anxiety is legitimate – It is not the extras we are concerned about but the essentials. We are burdened.

Every burden falls under two categories; God’s and ‘others’. The Lord’s burden is light and His yoke is easy. Burdens that weighs heavy on us and yokes that are difficult, do not come from God. They may come from the devil, from others, from society or from ourselves.

The Lord says we should not bother about even our needs. Rather, God calls the weary soul to Himself and to rest. He invites us to exchange our burdens and yokes for His. This we do by shifting our focus primarily from ourselves to Him; from our physical wellbeing to our spiritual wellbeing.

God is a caring heavenly father, as we can learn from the birds. He loves us and is concerned about us, down to the minutest detail. We must intentionally draw close to God. And when we do, God expects us to relate to Him constantly and consistently. Our faith should become a lifestyle.

This forced holiday is a good time to pause and ponder about the way we live. When it is over, just as the world would not go back to what it used to be, we cannot afford to return to business as usual. We must be prepared for a new normal and this new normal will mean we re-consider our values and re-visit our priorities. Do we pay more attention to your body than our spirit? What better time than now to do some soul-searching and more importantly, re-setting.

One of the ways we draw close to God is by study of scriptures. There we learn that we cannot please Him by our good works, as important as they are. We get to know that we can come to this God of love through faith in His son Jesus Christ. When we have placed our faith in Him, then the only burden we should carry ought to be the burden of the kingdom; the burden to see God’s purpose fulfilled on earth. And part of this purpose is to share the message of God’s wonderful love with others.

As He has lifted our burdens, taken our yokes, we too ought to reach out and lift the burden of others by telling them the good news that:

“… if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won’t He more surely care for you?” (Matt. 6:30).

“Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny, can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. …So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29,31).

When next you are tempted to worry just take a walk outside, take a look around and learn a lesson from the birds.