I listened to birds squawk today, and as I listened I thought, "God even calls this 'good'." The cawing of sea gulls - "good." The cackle of crows - "good." The aggressive nature of cow birds - "good." The idea can expand, of course, to any and all parts of creation I, or anyone else, calls suspect, apprehensible, a nuisance: mosquitoes, raccoons, chipmunks, pythons, coyotes, deer, brown recluses, sharks, jellyfish - the list could be quite long. This goes for places, peoples, political regimes, cultures (micro and macro). God called it all, all of us, "good," if you take the first creation story at face value. I have a hard time accepting this, however, when the 4th welp rises from my skin within moments of venturing outside, or when my brother displays his penchant for desecrating his life.
Of course it's not my issue, except if I come down with denque fever (a growing outbreak of the mosquito born virus is happening in Brazil right now); or a python swallows my dog; or the intoxicated man kills my daughter via vehicular homicide - then what do I do? How do I call the creation "good"? What theological gymnastics do I perform to make the equation creation = good actually work out?
The only way I can (and get ready to roll your eyes) is creation + God = good. Because the only entity who is good is God, and God in us creates what good bits exist. As an old pastor of mine used to say, "We are shot through with sin, but we are justified through Christ: Just as if I'd done nothing wrong. Just as if I'd done everything right." How this applies to mosquitos, I'm not sure, but Paul talks about all of creation and birth pangs as we all move from our current state to our eschatologically complete one.
Maybe one day mosquitos will impart anti-aging serum into my resurrected body with each bite while the lion lays down with the lamb.
My other bird related musing came when I witnessed a sparrow feast on the fern-like growth of an ancient oak. "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows (Matthew 10:29-31)." I conflated this with "Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they (Matthew 6:26)?"
As I wrestle with options (and I am grateful to have them), the little sparrows teach me about trust, about freedom, about being valued and loved by God. The little bird whispers, "There is enough, you are enough. Quiet yourself and follow the movement of God within you and the movement of God outside of you." As I tell people who want to learn to listen, the first step is to actually listen, not be planning what you may say next. I find as I listen to God, I recognize how God listens to us (all of creation), which begins the "conversation" about abundance.
So be it.
PRACTICE
Lectio Divina: Read the following passage through after a few deep breaths and pay attention to any word or phrase which sticks out for you. Read through again and pay attention to anything further you notice about the word/phrase and how it applies to you. Read through again and spend time in prayer with the word/phrase asking God what you need to understand/know/do with the word/phrase (i.e., How might God be guiding you? What needs your further action? Where may your understanding need to be changed or expanded? How may this impact your relationship with someone else?). End with a time of thanksgiving.
Matthew 6: 25-34
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink,[k] or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your span of life?[l] 28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For it is the gentiles who seek all these things, and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God[m] and his[n]righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
34 “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
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