Weekly Update – 18th June

Dear All,

“Are not two sparrow sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.  And even the very hairs of your head are numbered.  So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10: 29-30)

One of the things I have really appreciated during quarantine, is our bird table and our feeders.  I have never really been one for spending much time in the garden, but through our spells of beautiful weather, it has been lovely just sitting, even for just a few moments, watching the birds.  I think my favourite bird has become the goldfinch, but there is something about the cheeky robin and the tiny form of the sparrow which I like too and it has caused me to reflect on the variety of birds.  God could have just given us one type of bird, and called it “bird” and that would have been lovely, but instead, we have 620 different species of bird in the UK alone.  That is just amazing, and shows God’s creativity and attention to detail as each species is different, and each individual bird is different.  Birds don’t worry about shopping, clothing, the 2 meter rule or haircuts and yet they are so beautiful and bring so much joy.  Jesus says, that we are worth more than the birds. However much God cares for them, he cares more for us.

I’ve also been reflecting this week of fear.  What is it that we fear and have those fears changed in the past few months, or have we just added more to our list? We may fear catching Covid-19 or passing it on to someone else, we may fear for our jobs and financial situation, for our family and friends who we can’t see, for what will happen after quarantine and how we go forward from here. I’ve even started thinking about what if this happens again in the near future – if another virus comes in a year or two, will we have to go through this all again?

The only assurances we ever have about the future are God’s love and care for us.  Like the birds, each one of us are different, God created us all to look different, to think differently, to be different colours and have different backgrounds, but he knows us.  He even knows how many hairs we have on our heads, and he loves us all.  He loves us even more so than those beautiful birds in our gardens.  We are worth so much more to God than even the birds are and he will be with us and look after us.  So in Jesus’ words: “Do not be afraid”.  With God by our side, we can handle anything.

Maybe this weekend we can take moment to watch the birds in our garden or out of the window or when we are out for a walk and just remember how precious we are to God.

God Bless you all this week,

Gill