Worry

Matthew 6:25-31: Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 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? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you -- you of little faith? Therefore do not worry..."

We all know this passage from the New Testement, but it hardly stops us from worrying. I'm a bonefide worrier and I know some of you must be, too.

Last week I was at the gym, peddling away on the stationary bicycle. My mind was going as fast as my feet -- whirring away on worries. Just then I noticed a tiny sparrow hopping along the sidewalk and I decided to let go of my thoughts and just enjoy watching the bird. I marveled at how small she was but that didn't deter her from the busy sidewalk. She hopped among the feet of passersby, sometimes pausing to peck at a seed or cock her head to listen to other birds. I stared in wonder at her glossy wings and her ability to fly as she took off for her nest in the rafters of the building. This sparrow was the very embodiment of God's amazing creation -- and also His amazing care.

As I watched her, I relaxed. Worry drained out of my mind. The sparrow reminded me to trust God in a very real and tangible way. That day a sparrow was my greatest apostle.