Bird Watching

I finally saw the bumper sticker that expressed one of my lifelong hobbies. It was on the bumper of a Subaru and read: “I’d rather be bird watching”. I do love spending time observing the antics of the mockingbirds in our front yard trees and listening to the mourning doves on the powerlines. I also remember the excitement I felt the first time I saw that rare Florida native, the scrub jay.

Did you know that bird watching is biblical? Matthew 6:25,26 tells us: “This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they”? Jesus specifically told us to “look at the birds”. We can learn so much from them. Jesus tells us that God feeds the birds. Birds eat different things. Have you ever witnessed how a robin seems to have worm radar? God has equipped him to sense where the worms are and how to pull them from the ground. Some birds eat berries, many dine on seeds and nuts. When you hear a machine gun sound, think woodpeckers. They are designed by their Heavenly Father with hard heads and sharp bills to extract insects from trees. The diminutive hummingbirds are equipped by God to drink nectar from flowers. The herons and egrets eat a variety of lizards and shrimp. Isn’t it thrilling to see an osprey dive into the water and come up with a fish in its talons?

Jesus told us that when we look at the birds, we should note how well their Heavenly Father takes care of them. He then instructs us not to be so preoccupied about our own food, clothing, and the basics of life. Our Heavenly Father watches the birds and feeds the birds. Jesus then asked aren’t you worth more than they?