I found there a joyful reminder of God’s care for all creation.
My phone contains a record of these vignettes of creation that I captured at home and work.
In Matthew 6 these words of Jesus are recorded,
26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
My worries were captured in a perfectly timed shot of a magpie swooping on my unsuspecting three-year-old.
For me this represented the threat I was feeling from the viruses of the natural world.
However, it was the response of my child that was most instructive.
This was his first experience with the native Australian bird, so he was unafraid and is generally quite courageous.
Magpies seem to work mostly with bluff as they sneak up only to clap their wings together when they are right above your head.
My child’s response was not to worry, as it wouldn’t add a single hour to his life.
This was a reminder to me to turn in trust towards my maker that come what may, God would be with me.
There was another occasion at school where a willy wagtail had made a nest in the metal struts of the Year 7 locker room verandah.
This would never have occurred in normal circumstances, but due to the absence of rambunctious Year 7s a nest was possible.
Hard times reveal things we couldn’t see before and can even reveal surprising joys.
One of the ways God demonstrates my value to him is through the support of his people, the Church.
Through the hardship of being separated and unable to worship I have realised just how much I value this family of God and friendship in faith.
It was a kookaburra that gave me the biggest surprise of all.
My home is in regional suburbia, so not the natural habitat for these laughing larrikins.
But on this Saturday morning he was perched on our fence only five metres from the window.
I called my two boys over and we just watched.
It was a moment of “looking at the birds” and remembering God cares for this creature.
How much more is his care for me demonstrated through the life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus to restore me to my Creator?
It was the first Chaplain to Australia in 1788 who cited Psalm 116:12, “How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me?”, and said “Christianity is about gratitude in response to God’s gifts”.
It was birds who drew me out of myself and toward God in thankfulness. It is this virtue of gratitude that opened the door of my soul to the world around me.
— Rev Tim Bowles, Moama Anglican Grammar Chaplain