A Little Bird

Being a member of the lower-ish part of middle class basically means that you have just enough money to support yourself, but no real money for anything else. I've pretty much gotten used to the "save a little, pay bills and then have just a tiny bit left over for fun" lifestyle, but every once in a while it REALLY gets annoying. Philip and I have a few credit cards that we need to get rid of, and with all these job changes that have happened over the past 4 months our Ramsey-inspired system has gotten pretty screwed up, and we are basically just breaking even when all is said and done. (This is a little too personal, but really... not many people actually read these posts).

Every once in a while I'll have a mini-breakdown/tantrum about this and Phil will comfort me, get me to calm down, and offer hope and positivity to the matter. Sometimes the roles switch and I'll be the one talking sense into him until the worry and uneasiness wears off. (Thankfully we have yet to reach the stage of "screw it, let's go rob a bank" idiocracy.)

Now here's a picture of a beautiful bird. 

So why am I telling you all of this? It's because I wanted to share something that I re-learned a few nights ago as we were reading our scriptures. Matthew 6:26-34 reads as follows: 

26. Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27. Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28. And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do the spin: 29. And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30. Wherefore if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31. Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32. (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

A long time ago a friend told me a quick, short story about a bird, which goes like this:

A little bird wakes up every day and works to find food and create a shelter, and every day it achieves it's goal. It never starves to death, and it doesn't worry about what will become of it the next day. Do you think God loves this little bird? Of course he does, that's why He takes care of it. It lives a happy life as long as it does it's job to find food. Now, how much do you think God loves You, His greatest creation? He loves you much more than a little bird, so of course he is never going to let you starve as long as you do your job. Just stop worrying, be like a little bird and just worry about today. He'll take care of what you can't manage. 

Isn't this a great story? It really touched my heart and reminded me of what I had forgotten; He'll take care of what I can't manage.