March on to Spring! Birds and do not worry....

Psalm 104:12 (NIV)
The birds of the air nest by the waters; they sing among the branches.

Matthew 6:25-27 (NIV)
Do Not Worry
25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 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 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Wow, it's March already! I am SO looking forward to Spring! I've been seeing and hearing glimpses of its approach. Some green grass is peeking through the melted back snow. Our sump pump is running approx. every 1 1/2 minutes! AND I heard birds the last couple of days.

I looked up some verses past Genesis (where birds of the air are mentioned a lot) and found the above verses. I like Psalm 104, but Matthew 6 goes beyond the birds and tells us not to worry. I figured that's a good reminder too. If God keeps the birds safe, we are even more valuable. So why do I worry so much when God's got it covered? No need to answer...I'm sure I'm not the only one who worries about stuff that never ends up happening. What a waste of time and energy! Now to remember that in the midst of crisis and chaos. (How's that for the name of a blog...or a book...Crisis and Chaos) :)

One quote I have always liked goes something like: Worry is like a rocking chair, it keeps you busy but it doesn't get you anywhere.

I tried to look up who said the above and found it credited to a couple of different people...and worded slightly different each time. The following site had some other great quotes about worry.

http://thinkexist.com/quotation/worry_is_like_a_rocking_chair-it_gives_you/8795.html

I looked up worry at webster.com and found: to subject to persistent or nagging attention or effort similar words were: torment and struggle. That certainly puts worry more in perspective!

So a prayer when feeling overwhelmed or struggling:
God,
You know me better than I know myself. Help me to put my attention and effort toward things that can make a difference in my life and for others. When worry starts to make me frustrated, remind me that you have the situation handled even when it is not in the time I wish or the answer I expect. Help me to not feel like I need to do everything on my own or perfectly. Thank you for caring about all the little details in my life.
Amen