Consider the Birds

For the past few weeks, I’ve implemented a new rhythm to my daily routine. I wake up, make a cup of coffee, coax my lazy old man dog off the couch with his harness and leash, step outside into the faint morning light just as the birds are waking up, and set out on my quarter-mile stroll around the neighborhood. 

There really hasn’t been much of an agenda to the walk other than getting my blood flowing and breathing some fresh air before the day begins; but each morning God has met me. He has caught my attention with the “dawn chorus.” For those unfamiliar, the dawn chorus is the collective singing and chirping of the birds that bursts forth from the silence just before the sun rises. 

As I stroll through the neighborhood with old man dog listening to the chorus of birds, I sense that I am a part of something bigger and I’m reminded of Jesus’ words in Matthew 6 to “consider the birds.” Each morning has been a walk of consideration, a walk of reflection and contemplation. Each morning during my walk, as I listen, look, watch, and consider, I can sense my soul; my heart and my mind, becoming anchored. 

I’m anchored to the day. I’m reminded that today is the day the Lord has made. When God makes something, He creates it with order, purpose, and provision. That means there’s an order to my life today. There’s a purpose for my life today. If there is order and purpose, that means there is provision. God will supply all that I need to live within His order and live out His purpose. 

I’m also anchored in a place. As I walk, I notice different bird sounds in different parts of the walk. There are two primary areas along the walk that the bird song is the loudest. The same two areas every morning light up with most of the sound. I realize the birds have a place. They have a home. This day, the day God has created with order, purpose, and provision, will be lived out in the place that I am. I’m reminded that I have a place, and the place that I am has order, purpose, and provision. 

Lastly, I’m reminded that I’m anchored to a greater story. Something larger and beyond me. The birds are not just in a place, they are in an ecosystem. They don’t just rest in a nest in some tree, the tree is anchored to the earth through its roots. The roots absorb moisture and nutrients from the dirt that’s teeming with microscopic critters. The ecosystem around the birds, the great story, is part of what sustains them. I might even venture to say, it IS what sustains them. It’s what gives them shelter and provides their food. I’m reminded that my life is part of God’s greater story, a story of relationship, hope, and redemption. His ecosystem, or might I say His people, His kingdom, His presence, surrounds me and helps sustain me. As part of that ecosystem, I also have purpose. My presence brings value to the ecosystem. We are all a part of God’s grand story of redemption, hope, and healing. As we carry within us the good news of Christ, the eternal hope of relationship, we bring value to those around us. 

These are just a few gracious reminders the Holy Spirit has brought to my attention as I consider the birds on my morning walks. May you find your own moments of consideration, and may you be reminded that your life is “anchored” today. Or, as the apostle Paul once wrote, your life is “hidden with Christ in God,” where all of your order, purpose, and provision comes from.