Bird-brain

We, human beings, fret about the past, stew about the present and worry about the future. The foolishness of worry is highlighted in the words of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of St. Matthew (6:25-26) 25 'Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink,[a] or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

When I slip into unproductive worry, this poem reminds me of my folly.

Said the Robin to the Sparrow:

'I should really like to know

Why these anxious human beings

Rush about and worry so.”

Said the Sparrow to the Robin:

'Friend, I think that it must be

That they have no Heavenly Father

Such as cares for you and me.”

(Elizabeth Cheney, Streams in the Desert, October 10).

Peace, a feeling of contentment, safety and trust, is an elusive and rare quality among human beings of developed nations as the United States. This leads me to another story that was shared in the text, Embracing the Uncertain by the Rev. Magrey deVega (Abingdon Press, Nashville, pages 41-42). 'There was a man 'who was seeking the perfect portrait of peace. Not finding one that satisfied, he announced a contest to produce this masterpiece. The challenge stirred the imagination of artists everywhere, and paintings arrived from far and wide. Finally, the great day of revelation arrived. The judges uncovered one peaceful scene after another, while a gathered crowd of viewers clapped and cheered.

The tensions grew. Only two pictures remained veiled. As a judge pulled the cover from one, a hush fell over the crowd. A mirror-smooth lake reflected lacy, green birches under the soft blush of evening sky. Along the grassy shore, a flock of sheep grazed undisturbed. Surely this was the winner.

The man with the vision uncovered the second painting himself, and the crowd gasped in surprise. Could this be peace? A tumultuous waterfall cascaded down a rocky precipice; the crowd could almost feel its cold, penetrating spray. Stormy-gray clouds threatened to explode with lightning, wind and rain.

Amid the thundering noises and bitter chill, a spindly tree clung to the rock at the edge of the falls. One of its branches reached out in front of the torrential waters as if foolishly seeking to experience its full power. A little bird had built a nest in the elbow of that branch. Content and undisturbed by her stormy surroundings, she rested on her eggs. With her eyes closed and wings ready to cover her little ones, she manifested peace that transcends all earthly turmoil. . . . This is the peace that passes all understanding – peace that springs from the truth that God is powerful, and God is present.”

Sisters and brothers, I invite and encourage you to join me in being a 'bird-brain” with the sense to leave worry behind and to trust God to do what God promised for each and every one of us.