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Look at the Birds of the Air

Look at the Birds of the Air

“Look at the birds of the air,” Jesus said. (Mt. 6:26). Okay, a warm  July afternoon, my attention is drawn heavenward to a white-winged gull climbing a thermal staircase in space.

His wings spread wide, tethered to a sunbeam, my feathered friend experiences an effortless, ascending glide. There are some lessons there for me.

 
The snow-white flight aloft does not seem born of hunger, fear or pain. The seagull is not hunting for insects or fleeing some air-borne predator. If birds can experience joie de vivre, certainly that is his present state. He is not rushing to a meeting, racing to bear some deadline or trying to edge out the competition. He is enjoying the moment. Surely the Divine Presence expects no less of me.
 
I note as well that the gull simply makes use of what he is equipped to do. He soars because he has wings. I cannot discern the  workings of his walnut-sized brain, but I note that he makes good use of that with which he was born. He does not feel because he cannot break the sound barrier or journey to Saturn. I have certain talents too. I must use them and not grumble about those which I do not have.
 
I know nothing about the eyes of a gull, but I am sure that from the perch above his warm air shaft, he has a totally new perspective. That is my need as well. Rather that the hum-drum routine dictated by my electronic calendar, I need to climb to a loftier site and gain the outlook of the bigger picture. My vision needs correcting. I need to see God’s farther horizons.
 
“Look at the birds of the air,” Jesus said. Yes. They have some lessons to teach.
 
Shalom,
Wilbur

 

Last modified onTuesday, 01 August 2017 18:38
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Wilbur Rees

Wilbur Rees is currently Pastor Emeritus at Shalom United Church of Christ in Richland.

Wilbur calls himself a “survivor.” Having weathered the first two and a half decades of a tumultuous life, he went on to complete his education and serve as pastor in four states. He has written numerous article for religious publications and, in addition to this book, is the author of “Three Dollars Worth of God”. He is now retired and lives with his wife in Washington State.

 

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