Several years ago, I was driving to work in a confused, worried state. Earlier that day my husband and I had been to the maternal fetal medicine specialists, I was pregnant. They told us of the serious problems they were seeing and the lifelong ramifications for our baby. It was fall, and the mountains were covered with large patches of trees turning orange, red, and yellow. As I was driving to work, feeling worried and overwhelmed, the thought came to my mind, "God knows each leaf, their colors, and every line in every leaf. He knows the baby you carry and every part of her and will take care of her." I took comfort in that thought, God knows each leaf and every line in every leaf and seeing the colors of the leaves on the mountainside. It was a pivotal moment for me, where fear was beginning to be replaced with trust in God, at least in this one area of my life. That was several years ago, and our daughter is doing wonderfully, even though she is still affected by conditions from her birth. She has been taken care of by God even before she was born, and will continue to be. We all are cared for by Him. The Lord continues teaching me to trust Him more in every area of my life.
My Dad has taught a birds class for the last 3 summers to the grandchildren. It is rewarding to learn about birds, their songs and calls, and how they nest and raise their young.
How wonderful it is that God created birds in all their varieties. Some birds migrate thousands of miles every year. How mind boggling and awesome it is that God provides for birds throughout their migration journey- food, shelter, water. Each bird has unique ways of nesting and different foods they eat, and yet God takes care of all of them! Even with the changing world- the increasing pollution and building, God still provides places for birds to rest and regain energy along their journey. God provides for me and you in our life journey too- wherever we are!
While on a walk, I was thinking about how miraculous God's detailed care for birds is when I saw a birdhouse. Seeing the birdhouse of plywood and nails made me pause. The birdhouse was sturdily made but held no comparison to God's miraculous provisions.
Nests are made by birds to fit the number of chicks they can raise and their body size, and the nest is positioned at the right height so that their young can be protected from predators but also survive their first flight/fall from the nest. I feel like a bird that grew up in a birdhouse, and now I'm being taken care of by God, and it is so much better! Some of me misses the structures I grew up in, like the people that knew my name, and gave me positive feedback when I came in my best clothing to church. It is different being away from that structure of support.
Knowing that the Lord takes care of us, wants to be close with us, and speaks to us directly is a treasure, more than I knew was possible. Having a close relationship with the Lord is within our reach!
Sometimes I think that as long as I'm healthy, and my children are healthy, I'm OK. Or as long as we have a stable job and income, we'll get through things. Or as long as I have a good group of friends or community to go through life together, I'll get through whatever comes. If my family relationships are good, then I'm doing well. Yet only God is 100% worthy of being the center of our faith, trust, and love. He is the center of our life. Whatever we place our trust in other than God will eventually disappoint us. God finds ways and experiences to teach us that our trust should be in Him, instead of any other thing, person, or belief.
When we face confusing, difficult situations, only the Lord has the perfect love and wisdom to give the best answer. God is who our life questions should be directed to. Other people may have special training, education, callings at church, or have gone through similar situations, but only the Lord knows everything about you and your situation. He knows every detail about you even before you were inside your mother's womb, and every experience you've had since. The Lord is who we should look to for answers.
I have heard church leaders say, "Write down your questions and bring them to general conference, and you'll receive the answers you seek." They are standing in the way of people asking God directly, placing themselves in God's place. We lack faith, we sin way too often, we are too focused in the world and its trappings, and it can be hard to hear the voice of the Lord or his Spirit talking to us. Instead of teaching church members to look to the leaders of the church for answers; what should be taught is faith, repentance, and developing a personal relationship with the Lord. Only the Lord, and a relationship with the Lord will carry us through any challenge. Another leader asked, "If you leave the church, where will you go?" The question itself reveals a lack of faith in God. We can all go directly to our Creator, God, to Jesus without intermediaries. The one who created the leaves and the mountains, and who provides for each bird is anxious to talk to you and help you directly.
I am thankful that people find peace and comfort wherever they can in these difficult times, in a church, outside in nature, or in music. We all need more peace and guidance. If where our peace and stability comes from has anything that isn't true in it, it will crumble and fall eventually. Jesus is the only one 100% worthy of our faith and trust, and being the center of our life. Jesus waits for us to come to Him directly- the source of all truth. He has given everything to bridge the gap between us. No one is more invested than Jesus is in your happiness and growth. He said, "I am the Way, the Truth, the Life, no one comes to the Father except by me." John 14:6
