Inspiration from Flying Rats

I was stressing about the job cut rumors the other day when I think the Lord nudged me. I was standing out on the quad talking to someone telling them all of the possibilities in terms of the layoffs. It was right after lunchtime when all of the sea gulls and pigeons come out and eat the scraps of food that students toss on the ground. As I was getting myself more and more worked up describing what could happen, a pigeon waddled by shaking a piece of cheese in its mouth. It was like a little king with its fat belly and shiny purple feathers adorning it’s neck. The cheese matched the size of his little head which made me smile watching him struggle to get the whole thing into its beak. It was then that I thought about what Jesus said in Matthew 6: “Look at the birds. They don’t plan or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable then they are?”

This has been a hard one to learn. I keep having to remind myself. At every moment of our lives, every cell, every fiber of our being is completely and utterly dependent on the Lord for its provision. It’s comical to me that a homeless, penniless flying rat had to be the thing that reminded me of this. But I guess it’s appropriate. We are sons and daughters of the Great King. We may think we’re the source of our own hope in life, but that is only an illusion. The oxygen we breathe, the water we drink, the food we put in our mouths- every bit of it is held together by Him and obedient to His command.