Sunday, December 24, 2023

Birds, Perches, and Mustard Seeds Amy Hosp 5-13-22

 




When I come across these photos of this beautiful American Robin that I photographed in Frisco back in 2018 or 2019 which was a very difficult season in my life, it always puts a smile on my face and reminds me how delicate life is. I see his little feet and legs balancing him on the fence and think about the fact that God takes care of the tiniest details in our life. And even though they’re tiny, and we don’t think about the tiny things as much as we do the big things, it’s those tiny things that make all the difference whether we survive, fall apart, or fall off our perch.

 

I hate to admit that there are more times than not that I feel like things in my life are out of control and that I’ll never be able to hold on to some sense of normalcy, and in today’s political world alone much less all of the other things we have to balance in life, I know that many people feel the same way that I do. Watching nature or spending time in nature and especially watching  birds, like this robin, remind me that God has created us, with the tiniest details in mind, which are the very foundation of what keeps us together. That foundation is that place inside of us that God put there for us to have faith in something and then he provided that something for us to have faith in. It only takes enough faith that is the size of a mustard seed to be able to believe in God and what He did for us and how much He is a God of love. That something that God provided for us to have faith in  is Jesus Christ, who left his father’s side in heaven and became a man and died on the cross and rose from the dead to cleanse us of our sins so that when we die and leave this earth we can spend an eternity in heaven with Him.

 

I have often wondered why it would only take enough faith the size of a mustard seed to believe in such a big God. A  mustard seed is so tiny, and I think about if I were to pour water inside of a mustard seed to fill it up it would be only a tiny drop of water, and that’s what it would take if our faith is like water to fill up that mustard seed, just a tiny drop of faith is all that we need to be able to trust in God or believe in God.

 

You see a mustard seed grows into a very big sturdy strong tree which is amazing because it’s seed is so tiny. This is what happens to your faith when you believe in God, it starts out as a tiny little seed of faith but the more that you water it and tend to it, by fellowshipping with God and reading your Bible, the more your faith grows into a very strong sturdy faith in God.

 

With the images of tiny mustard seeds and big mustard seed trees in mind, now I hope you can understand that when I look at these pictures of this robin and the delicate details that hold him up and on his perch how it is that I have a sense of peace and comfort knowing that when I’m feeling overwhelmed that I can call on God and thank Him for my salvation and thank Him for His creation. So I encourage you first of all if you don’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ as your personal savior, send me a message and I would be happy to talk to you about that or you can contact a local pastor, and also go out into nature, which really can just be your own backyard, and look around you and see what you can find that reminds you that God really has created the tiniest details to help us find peace and comfort in our crazy world and to keep us from falling off of our perch.

 

Did you know that a mustard seeds tree is meant to grow big enough for birds to be able to nest and perch in its branches? It’s one more reminder of why I find comfort and peace when I watch God’s creation around me.

 

Matthew 13:31-32 NIV “He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.””