Look at the birds in the sky. They don’t sow seed or harvest grain or gather crops into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than they are? — Matthew 6:26
Being of the AARP variety, complete with my retirement card, I can title this meditation the way I did. In other words, it takes an old person to write, with authority, about changing perceptions as you grow older.
And this one truth I hold to be self-evident: The more you increase in age, the greater you appreciate birds.
My daughter gave me a squirrel-proof birdfeeder for Father’s Day. I find it more entertaining than anything on HBO. Every small to medium sized Missouri bird has communicated to each other about the buffet they’ll find there. Blue jays, cardinals, house finches, Carolina wrens, downy woodpeckers…Yes, I’ve joined my AARP comrades and have become a bird nerd.
And there’s something spiritual about that. Feathered friends are playful…they’re focused…they fuss…but, ultimately, they fulfill their job description by trusting that a “heavenly Father” will look after them during their short time on earth. Jesus must have been a bird watcher too.
So, I invite you, regardless of age, to take time and enjoy these feathered expressions who claim dinosaurs as their ancestors. Which one will you see today? Maybe you’ll hear the message they preach through their songs and actions: “Lighten up! This is the day the Lord has made! Rejoice and be glad in it!” (Psalm 118:24, Missouri Bird Edition).