Be More Like a Bird Than a Bat

"Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?" - Matthew 6:26

The older I get the more fascinated I am with nature. I so enjoy the pink ribbons that grace the morning skies and the scarlet sunsets that put the day to bed. I treasure my walks along the oak canopied stretch of streets in my neighborhood as much as the Jeep rides out to the beautiful Texas hill country. I find beauty in the dandelion as much as in the rose, and I love stepping out onto the back deck before sunrise to see bat wings flitter overhead.

Matter of fact, I've been getting out there earlier each morning just for the pleasure of watching them in flight. They really are amazing creatures. Nearly blind, they are forced to navigate by echo location. Their screeches, of such high frequency, are inaudible by human ears, but help them to detect prey as well as to avoid other bats in flight and obstacles they can't otherwise see.

God made them and called them good, along with everything else He created, and they serve the extremely important function of keeping mosquito numbers in check. Because they operate the way they do, their voices really only serve them alone, and their flight, as a result, is quite erratic.

It almost seems to get more chaotic as the dawn approaches. The unknown signals within them a "last chance" response to grab all the bits they can, while they can, because their survival depends upon self.

That's a real contrast to the birds who come onto the scene just moments later. I always hear them before I see them. As the darkness gives way to that early golden glow, the birds lift up their voices in concert and sing. I imagine it to be a song of thanks to their Creator for His protection through the night and for His provision each and every morning. They too face unknown challenges and obstacles of the day, but they don't fear the future... they trust in the One who controls it.

I couldn't help but draw an analogy in respect to my response (and perhaps yours too) to the current political debate in our country. I've been feeling like a bat. I have watched every night of each of the two conventions, not because I enjoy it, but because I want to be well-informed about each party's platform and each candidate's beliefs.

I don't just want to know what they say. I don't just want to know what they promise. I want to know what they have done... and what they intend to do. And because I listen and read and inform myself, I begin to feel chaos seep into my inner being. Fear feeds the growing pit in my stomach. I worry not only for the future of this nation, but also, and honestly perhaps much more acutely, for the future and well-being of myself... my family... my children... my grandchildren.

It's like I'm flying in the dark in those moments of deep uncertainty, frantic to grab what is needed to take care of me and mine.

But... the future doesn't depend on me or on any political party. There is only One in whom it rests. God is still on His throne. Nothing happens without His knowledge, and nothing falls upon us that has not first been sifted through His most capable, most powerful hands. We may not like what comes our way sometimes. We may not understand it. How could we? We are not God. We cannot see His future, so how could we grasp the extent or purpose of His plan?

Do you remember Jesus' words in response when He was being tried before Pilate? Pilate said to Him, "Do you not know that I have authority to release you, and I have authority to crucify you?" Jesus responded, "You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above."

Let that sink in for a moment. God the Father ordained that Pilate would be the one with final authority to seal the fate of His Son... a fate determined from the very beginning by the Father Himself. A fate that sent Jesus to the cross to suffer and die, yes, but a fate that would also mean forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life for all who believed. It was a hard plan. It was excruciating for both Father and Son, but there was something much bigger in play, much bigger at stake that only God could see.

We, fallible, fragile human beings cannot fathom the depths of God's understanding. We cannot hope to grasp His ways, but we CAN know Him, and in THAT knowledge we can put our trust... and the unknown future.

So... I've come to the conclusion that God wishes me to be more like the birds. He wants me to trust in His perfect plan, even when to my imperfect eyes it seems fraught with danger. It isn't always easy... the whole letting go thing, but it is the only way to have peace, no matter what the new day brings.

Therefore, I will do my duty as an American. I will listen. I will inform. I will pray, and I will vote, but I will no longer worry about the future. I will trust that the One who alone controls everything will keep me safely in the palm of His hand. I relinquish my fears for all the tomorrows in the life of both my country and my family to my heavenly Father. I will wait patiently for that golden glow...

and I will lift up my voice and sing.