Anxiety and the New Guests at Our House

As spring has progressed and the leaves have transformed from just-born light green to a mature hue, and the flowers continue to flower and leaf, there has been a wonderful recent addition to our family.  See...in one corner on the outside of the house, a bird had been persistently building an addition.  Guess he or she didn't think the house was big enough for da both of us!  Day after day, layer after layer, careful construction continued until one day the 'door' to the room was visible.  The guest accommodations are complete, and we now have the Bird Family living with us.  And they have been quite active.  Yesterday, the mama bird was flying in and out all day long as she brought back 'food' for her younglings.  This morning, while doing some reading and studying, I noticed 2 adult birds at the doorway.  I got a little worried because one had its head in the nest as the mama bird landed with more food.  I thought another bird had swooped in to do harm to our babies.  But...turns out that it must have been papa, because he took the food from mama bird's beak and reached into the kid's room.  What an incredible sight!

That got me thinking about something Jesus said about worrying.  Paraphrasing Matthew's Gospel, he states, "Don't worry about the little things in life - food, clothes, cars, boats, stuff.  Life is much more than that.  Consider the Bird Family.  They technically are 'homeless,' yet they know they can build a shelter if needed - for their younglings.  And after they build it and the babies are born, they don't worry about trying to get a table at Cracker Barrel or whether or not their SUV is the latest model.  God knows they're hungry and directs them to the food. God loves all of Creation and takes care of it."

God knows all of creation.  And takes care of us.  And I appreciate that because I tend to worry about things.  Usually small things.  Things that in the grand scheme of things won't add moments to my life.  In fact, they take away from life.  They distract me from what's really important: loving, sharing, giving, participating, reflecting the image of the Creator.  So I'll take a few lessons from the Bird Family today and realize that everything is God's.  I am just a fortunate recipient of grace and lots of gifts.  May I use them appreciatively and wisely.

Until next time...

Transitions

Transitions are part of our lives.  Whether we're transitioning from school to summer vacation, high school into college, college into the work force, singleness into committed relationship (or vice-versa), or work into retirement, just to name a few, we face numerous transitions/metamorphoses/changes throughout our lives.  Some of them, we wholeheartedly welcome; others...well...not so enthusiastically.  Some downright scare us.  Some make us mad or sad.  Some we instigate; others are thrust upon us.  Some are smooth and seamless - often unnoticed.  Some are obvious, and even clunky.  Transitions are everywhere, and they are natural part of the cycle of life.

I think about the transition (for lack of better word) of thought and action for those who directly heard Jesus' messages.  He said he came not to do away with the law, but rather to fulfill the law.  Though he knew, and honored, and respected the Law, he challenged His listeners with his, "But I say unto you..." statements.  His higher and better ways allow us to transition from absolute 'one-ways' to considering all sides of the story and viewing the bigger picture.  Instead of an eye for an eye, Jesus challenges us to turn the other cheek.  Think about it: if we all followed the eye for an eye rule, eventually we'd all be blind.  Jesus knew this.  His suggestion to turn the other cheek is not a sign of weakness or passiveness.  In fact, Jesus' way of thinking and action truly is one of strength, because it is motivated by love.  And not the quiver-in-the-liver kind of love.  But real get-your-hands-dirty, up-close-and-personally involved love.  Love that the Apostle Paul says will bear, believe, hope, and endure.

With the words and actions of Jesus in mind, I think about the upcoming transition in my life.  Suzanne and I are ending one chapter in our lives and beginning another.  We are moving from Hickory to Asheville around the end of June/beginning of July as I will be pastoring a church there.  The transition is full of emotions, and I know that God is calling us to this next chapter in our lives.

God walks with every one of us through our many transitions and cycles of life.  God cares about the details of our lives; I am completely convinced of this!  We humans are such complex beings, yet we are so tiny compared to the planet.  And the planet is tiny compared to the sun; and the sun is tiny compared to the entire universe!  Yet...here we are, facing the beauty and challenges of each day.  We're given opportunities to choose - life or death, blessings or curses, love or hatred, inclusion or exclusion, affirmation or segregation.  God gives us countless opportunities to transition into higher and better ways.  We get to choose whether or not we wish to be transformed - by love.

So Suzanne and I embrace this transition with love.  Oh...I'm sure stress will creep in and try to distract us.  But love that bears, believes, hopes, endures, and transforms us into higher and better ways will always be with us during every transition we encounter.  That, we all can be assured of.  Until next time...